Rockstar
by Naramis
Summary: Fang Yun is the lead guitarist of the famous rock band 'Fighting Fate' and known for her sexual promiscuity, mostly with groupies of the band. One day, when she meets a cute redhead on one of their concerts, however, she starts feeling emotions she isn't familiar with. - AU, Fanille, rated M for sexual content and possible other adult themes in later chapters. Please review! -
1. Chapter 1

**AN: **Hey guys! This is an AU fic for the Fanille pairing!

Just something I wanted to mention before you start reading: Everyone looks quite like in XIII, just their clothing is different from in the game. And Hope is older here and therefore you can imagine him looking more like in XIII-2. :)

And now ... have a nice read and enjoy!

* * *

_Chapter One_

It had been a long day so far. A _very_ long day indeed. Vanille normally quite enjoyed even her hardest days at university, but today she just wanted to go out and enjoy the beautiful weather. And she finally got the chance to do just that when the lecture was over.

She sighed contentedly and grabbed her bag to leave. Normally, Serah would have attended the lecture with her, as both of them studied literature, but her best friend had decided to stay home today to enjoy this wonderful day.

_I should have done the same._, Vanille thought to herself while making her way through one of these endless corridors of the university. But that was just not like Vanille at all. She had always been a hardworking student, and she hardly ever allowed herself to skip lectures.

Serah, however, was a bit different. The pink-haired girl was not a lazy student, no, but she saw no harm in missing a lecture every once in a while either. At least when there was a good reason for it.

The weather certainly was one of those good reasons, Vanille inwardly agreed once she had opened the door and stepped outside of the big building. It was really beautiful. The sun shone bright and it was pleasantly warm.

The girl smiled happily to herself and left the campus. She then walked her usual route home. It was only a few minutes from the university.

As the University of Bodhum was located directly near the core of its city, Vanille had to walk through the city centre every time. Needless to say, more often than not she and Serah found themselves stopping in front of shops to have a look. Bodhum was not such a big city but still, there were quite a lot of good opportunities to do some shopping.

Vanille was completely lost in her thoughts and daydreams as she passed through the city centre, trying her best to ignore the shops and their inviting offers that were all over the place.

However, there was one thing that suddenly caught her attention and dragged her out of her thoughts with a force. On a wall to her right there was a huge poster. "Fighting Fate" was written on its top in bold letters. She immediately walked closer to have a look at this.

And she almost squealed loudly when she read what this was about. Yes, it was her favourite band, Fighting Fate, that was shown on this poster. And even better, they would be coming to Bodhum for a concert next week. Vanille couldn't believe it. This just had to be the most exciting thing ever! She had to tell Serah.

She took another look at the big poster. All four band members were on it, but her glance was immediately almost magically drawn to one in particular: There she was, on the right, holding her guitar and smirking confidently. _Fang_. Vanille's smile widened as she stared for some more moments before forcing herself to avert her gaze from the stunning woman that she had a crush on.

There was no more time for that now, she had to go home and tell Serah about the concert. She had no idea how the two of them could've missed an event like this for so long, but now that Vanille got to know about it, she just _had to_ inform her best friend. Hopefully, they would still be able to grab tickets for this.

* * *

Serah sat on the couch and occupied herself with watching some boring TV series she wasn't even really interested in when she heard the front door opening and immediately after closing loudly. This had to be Vanille, Lightning never threw the door closed like this.

And indeed it was. "Seraaaah! I'm home and I absolutely _need_ to tell you something!", Serah didn't even have a chance to get up from the couch before her best friend entered the living room with a big excited smile on her face.

Serah found herself smiling back straight away - she couldn't help it, Vanille's smile was just contagious. "What is it? Tell me", she said with a curious tone to her voice.

Vanille smiled even more when she opened her mouth to speak. "Well...", she began, placing her bag on the floor before she sat down beside the pink-haired girl. "Apparently...", again, she paused. She knew this made Serah mad, it always did once she was eager to get to know something. It was a sadistic game she loved to play with her best friend.

"Oh come on now, Vanille, tell me!", Serah said desperately and leaned in closer to the redhead in anticipation. Vanille only giggled at this, but then decided to relieve Serah of this immense burden the curiosity seemed to have put on her shoulders.

"Fighting Fate are coming to Bodhum next week! They'll play a concert here!", she blurted out in what seemed like merely a second.

Serah couldn't help but scream in excitement. "SERIOUSLY? I mean ... seriously-seriously?", she almost squealed.

"Yep!", Vanille cried out. She had known Serah would find this just as exciting as she did.

They had never been to a concert of Fighting Fate before as they had only discovered the band some months ago and hadn't had the opportunity yet, but they had definitely hoped for their favourite musicians to come to their town all this time. And now this wish had become reality.

"So ... you said this is next week, right? We'll need to be quick then if we want to get some tickets!", Serah finally said once they had calmed down a bit. Vanille only nodded to this and then got up before she turned around to her still sitting friend.

"I guess we shouldn't waste any time then! Come on, let's see if we can get us some tickets to this!", she exclaimed happily and waited for Serah to get up.

* * *

There was a lot of hectic activity on and behind the stage, just as usual.

It was only hours until the audience would be let in for the concert. And then about another hour with a quite average supporting act before they would walk onto the stage to greet their fans and give them what they had all waited for, play their songs for them, put on a fancy show. Just as usual.

And damn, she loved it. She loved every last bit of this life she hadn't even been dreaming about not so long ago. She would be playing in front of quite a big crowd in Eden, the capital of Cocoon. This was really something special.

"Fang? Are you even listening to what I'm saying?", Hope said confusedly.

Fang looked up at him before shaking her head. "No, sorry. I guess I've been daydreamin' a bit", she said and followed it with a lazy smirk. The young man could only smile at this. This reaction was just _so_ Fang.

"Well, I was just talking about tonight. How do you feel about it?", he scratched his head and looked at her with a questioning look on his face.

"The concert you mean?", Fang asked before leaning back in her chair. Hope nodded. "I guess just as usual, I'm alright. Why do you ask?", she answered.

"I don't know. I'm just still very nervous, every time we play.", he replied and got up from his chair across Fang to check his appearance once again in the big mirror that was in the room.

Fang smiled. "You'll get used to it sooner or later. And it is still quite new, it's not like we've been doing this for years already, right?", she assured him.

She knew that Hope was quite a shy person and not nearly as self-confident as she was. But he was improving, and she knew that probably a good part of that improvement was thanks to her taking him under her wing, being some kind of role model for him he could learn from.

It was more an unspoken, passive thing, though. She didn't actively do much herself to help him. It was more that she allowed him to watch her attitude, her behaviour, her way to do things and occasionally gave him the assurance he lacked every now and then. Just like now. It wasn't much that she actually _did_, but then again she wasn't his mother.

She only noticed that she'd once again lost herself in thoughts when the door to the small room opened and Sazh came in, followed by Cid.

"Hey guys", Sazh said cheerfully and Cid only nodded before he closed the door behind them.

"Nervous, old man?", Fang provoked Sazh playfully, her typical smirk playing around her lips. Sazh only replied to this with a hearty laugh. "No, no, not really, girl.", he winked.

"I guess I'm too old and already too used to this to be nervous.", he replied truthfully and sat down on the chair that had been occupied by Hope moments ago.

A smile came to his features. "Well, okay, a little bit maybe. But that's not wrong, is it?", he spoke and leaned back in the chair.

"If you're not at least a tad bit nervous, you're doing it wrong", Cid piped up before Fang could say anything. He leaned against the wall beside Sazh before he continued.

"I'm always a bit afraid that I might lose my voice or something, this fear is there every concert. Or that I might screw up.", he smiled faintly. "But it's alright", he shrugged his shoulders, "I believe this makes me perform better on stage, so I don't complain."

Sazh only nodded in agreement before he turned to Fang again. "What about you? You ever nervous?"

Fang didn't have to think long to answer that question for herself. "I am, but once we're on stage and start playin', it's completely gone", she replied confidently, clasping her hands.

Hope had been completely silent during the entire conversation. Everyone knew that he was the most nervous person of them all when it came to playing on stage. He didn't need to say it.

"Anyway, we still got some time before we need to worry about nervousness, so how about some poker, guys?", Sazh finally suggested and got up, stretching his arms and yawning briefly.

"I'm game", they heard Fang's accented voice reply before Cid also agreed grinning widely and Hope nodded his consent. It had become quite a tradition of them to play some kind of card game, mostly poker, before the concerts. This time wasn't any different, even though they had never before played in front of such a large crowd.

* * *

"Well, I guess that was to be expected...", Vanille sighed while she and Serah went home again. It was a long day and they had literally gone to every ticket shop of Bodhum they knew.

"Mhh... did you check the internet shops?", Serah asked, a spark of hope igniting her eyes for a brief moment. As if for emphasis, Vanille patted the phone in her pocket and nodded.

"Yes, I did check everywhere. I guess it's just a bit too late...", the redhead said sadly. She really had hoped that somehow, somewhere, there would have been some tickets left for the concert. But it wasn't a big surprise to anyone that there weren't, in fact. After all, Fighting Fate were one of the most popular bands of Cocoon at the moment, so there were obviously a lot of people to visit their concerts.

The rest of the walk home was spent in silence; neither of them knew what to say, and even the nice weather did not make up for the disappointment.

Once they reached their home again and entered, they heard a female voice coming from the kitchen. Apparently, Lightning had returned from work.

They made their way to the kitchen to see that she was not alone: Serah's boyfriend, Snow, was sitting at the table with a cup of coffee in his hand.

"Serah, Vanille! You're back", Lightning said matter-of-factly as she saw the two girls enter the room.

At this, Snow placed his cup on the table and turned around in his chair, only to get up not one second later to practically storm towards his girlfriend and give her a big bear hug. "Serah!", he exclaimed happily.

Vanille could only giggle. This was just too cute. She went over to Lightning, who was currently making a sandwich for herself, and poked her gently on the shoulder. "You let him in? I mean ... voluntarily?", she teased her playfully.

She knew Lightning wasn't fond of her behaving this way to her, but Vanille had become a part of the family and therefore some kind of second younger sister to Lightning so the redhead could push her boundaries a bit without having to fear much coming back from the stoic woman.

"Yes. I ... had a good day, lucky for him.", Lightning replied coolly, a hint of a smirk playing around her lips as she took her sandwich and sat down on a chair. Vanille followed her example.

Meanwhile, Serah and Snow had sat down as well. "So, where have you guys been?", Snow finally asked.

"We heard that Fighting Fate are coming to the city next week and tried to grab some tickets.", Serah replied, the disappointment evident in her voice. "But there were none left", Vanille added.

"Oh thank Etro", it slipped Lightning out. She couldn't stand their fan girl behaviour.

It was already quite annoying, for example when they would turn up the music volume so much that Lightning could also 'enjoy' it wherever she was in the house - and their house wasn't small - or when they would just get the sudden idea that whatever happened with the band was exciting enough that they had to tell Lightning as well, whether she wanted or not. And that did happen often.

Needless to say, it would've been a disaster for the older Farron if the girls had gotten tickets for a concert. They would have driven her insane with their excitement, she was certain of that.

"Lightning!", Serah exclaimed at her sister's mean remark and balled her small hands into fists for a second. She wasn't really angry, though. She was too used to this sort of reaction from her older sister for that. Lightning couldn't help but chuckle at Serah's cute reaction.

"Wait, wait, wait! So you said you were looking for tickets for the Fighting Fate concert next Friday here in Bodhum, right?", Snow piped up.

"Yep!", Vanille answered.

A grin formed on Snow's lips. Oh, Lightning would kill him for that. "Well...", he started, glancing over to Lightning shortly before turning to Serah again. "Then you still have a chance for two tickets, guys!", he stated happily.

"What?", all three women in the room exclaimed in unison. The only difference being was that Lightning didn't look nearly as happy as Serah and Vanille did.

"You heard me right, ladies", he grinned. "There is a little competition tomorrow at my radio station. You call, and if you're lucky you get through. Then you answer the question right and you win two tickets for the concert", he explained.

The two girls couldn't help but scream happily at this. There was still hope that they might just make it to the concert with a bit of luck on their side!

Snow raised his fist in victory. He loved to see Serah so happy, it was just contagious. He shot over a quick glance to Lightning. And he believed he had never seen her having a so utterly shocked facial expression before. It just screamed "WHY?", and he couldn't help but find it amusing.

But Lightning was quick to recover. "You're doing this ... competition, Snow?", she asked him coolly. She had returned to her typical self, it seemed.

Snow nodded. "Yeah, why?" What was she up to? A small smile appeared on Lightning's face. She tried to hide it but there was no use.

"They will accuse you of favouring Serah if she wins this", the older Farron pointed out. And she had a point, everyone knew that. But that didn't stop Snow from trying to get it out of the way.

"No problem with that. We have more than enough radio hosts, I can just ask someone else to do this competition for me. Problem fixed", he winked at Lightning.

"Damn it!", she almost whispered and gently hit the table with her fist for emphasis.

Vanille giggled. "Come on, Light! We haven't even won yet! And even if we do, we'll behave ourselves, okay? Promise!", the girl smiled broadly. She really meant what she said, she knew that her and Serah's love for Fighting Fate annoyed Lightning more than just a bit.

"She's right, sis! We'll try to be a bit more normal and less the biggest fans in the world that we are", Serah supported Vanille and looked over to Lightning for some kind of reaction.

"As if I could stop you from trying anything possible to attend that concert anyway", Lightning gave in with a sigh and got up from her chair to put her empty plate into the sink.

The rest of the sunny day was spent in harmony and they decided to make use of the great weather and grilled in the garden that lay behind the house. They hardly noticed the time flying by and soon, Snow said his goodbyes and left.

Despite the late hour, Serah and Vanille spent another two hours in the redhead's room, talking about the band and - of course - listening to their music while doing so.

When they finally lay down to get some rest, it put a smile on Vanille's face to think about her crush once more. She was just gorgeous, and talented as well. Etro, even her name sounded glorious. Fang. Actually, the girl couldn't find anything about Fang that she did not adore. She had a heavy crush on the woman, after all.

Vanille took a quick glance at the alarm clock on her nightstand which read 12.13 am. So late already. She wondered what Fang was doing right now and began thinking about the endless possibilities before she drifted off into a deep sleep.

* * *

It had been a fantastic concert for the band.

From the moment Fang had made her way onto the stage with the others and had picked up her guitar to the final minutes when they had bowed before the audience and had smiled happily again before leaving the stage for good for this evening, it had been a truly great concert for the young woman and time had definitely flown by as if they had only been playing there for seconds.

But right now, Fang had other things in mind as she hastily pushed open the door to the hotel room and dragged the young woman into it with her before slamming the door shut and pressing her against it, wasting no time and kissing her wildly.

The woman's name was Neera, that was about all she knew about her. Well, and that she was a fan of Fighting Fate. She had attended the concert and afterwards, when the band had given an autograph session, Fang had taken a liking to her and that was how they had ended up here, in this small hotel room Fang had quickly rented for one night.

It wasn't really the first time Fang had taken a groupie to a room for one night of pleasure, though. Far from it. It happened almost every concert and whenever there was an opportunity and a girl Fang liked. Therefore, she was already well-known for her flirtatious behaviour and more so for her promiscuity with groupies.

It wasn't exactly bad publicity, though. In fact, there were a lot of girls approaching her to get a chance at a night with her, especially since they had gained more and more popularity and her habit had become common knowledge.

Still, her attitude towards groupies was obviously quite controversial but that was to be expected. But apparently it didn't affect the band in any negative way, so there wasn't really much reason for Fang to change her behaviour. It was her way of living, after all.

The two women went over to the bed that stood in the middle of the small room and Fang pushed the other woman onto the mattress and threw her leatherjacket on the floor next to the bed.

She cast a brief glance over to the clock on the nightstand which displayed 12:13 am in bold red-glowing numbers before quickly climbing on top of the handsome woman that lay before her.

* * *

It was early in the morning when Fang awoke with the woman still lying there next to her. She smirked more to herself before getting up quietly. As this was already so much routine to her, it really didn't take her long at all to find and put on her clothes and leave the room quickly without waking the still sleeping woman.

She then took a cab to the hotel she and the band stayed at in Eden. Of course, she would never take a groupie with her to her real accommodation.

She always chose another hotel for the nights she shared with groupies. It was safer for her and the band and that way she could just grab her things and leave the next morning without any trouble.

When she finally arrived at the hotel, she quickly went upstairs to her room and took a much needed shower before changing and going downstairs again to meet up with the band for breakfast.

She knew she was a few minutes late today, so everyone was already sitting at their table and eating when she arrived and wished everyone a good morning.

Everyone shot her this knowing glance for a brief moment before turning back to their normal selves, greeting her kindly.

"Hey Fang, had a long night, huh?", Cid commented when Fang sat down beside him.

She smirked, "Of course, what did you think?", she replied and her grin only widened when Sazh facepalmed.

She knew very well that he didn't really approve of her 'activities' with groupies but he rarely said anything against it, knowing that she didn't want to change this anyway. They had had this discussion often enough already.

Hope, however, just remained silent and ate his bacon with eggs. Fang's behaviour didn't bother him. On the contrary, he sometimes found himself even getting a bit envious of how everyone just admired and loved Fang and how she just seemed to have no trouble at all seducing any girl she wanted.

He was gay, however, so the girls weren't even what this was about. It was about Fang's talent to be popular with people, to be admired and liked by everyone. It was what he wanted as well. And he wanted to be self-confident about it.

"So, how's the plan for today?", Fang asked into the silence. She was aware that she should know this herself and she probably would, but right now she was just still so tired that she couldn't find the will to think about it herself.

"Nothing special, we'll only practise some later and that's about it for today.", Sazh replied while eating his cereal. "Our next concert will only be next Friday in Bodhum, up to then it's only some interviews, a press conference and practising, basically", he added while chewing.

"So nothing special really", she agreed and got up to help herself to some breakfast.

It would be quite a normal week until their next concert in Bodhum. They had been there before but that had been quite some time ago when they hadn't yet been as famous as they were now. Therefore, this would be their first large-scale concert in the beachside city. Fang was looking forward to it.

* * *

Vanille had already been super excited the moment she had woken up this morning, knowing that today she and Serah would try and win the last two remaining tickets for the Fighting Fate concert.

The competition held by Snow's radio station Bodhum 101 would be at 12 and they had agreed that Serah would be the one calling while Vanille would be sitting beside her.

Finally, it was time to make the call and Serah dialled the number, hoping she would be the one getting through.

They had their radio with them in the room so they were able to hear the radio host's deep voice greeting the caller that had just gotten through to him - unfortunately, it was not them but a young man. The girls let out a loud sigh at this.

"So, Ralis, can you answer me the following question? How often have Fighting Fate already been here in Bodhum to play a concert?", it sounded from the radio. Both Vanille and Serah hoped for their own sake that the man didn't know the answer to this.

"Ehm ... two times, I think?", the caller replied nervously.

"Ha, that's wrong, they've only been here once!", Vanille almost screamed to her best friend and before Serah could say anything the radio host unknowingly agreed with Vanille.

"Noooo! They've only been here once so far, mate! Wrong answer, sorry!", it came out of the radio.

"Aaand we got the next caller on the line! Who am I talking to?" Vanille had to put both her hands on her mouth to stop herself from screaming out. Serah had just gotten through and now held their ultimate chance in her hands to win the tickets. She couldn't believe it!

"This is Serah Farron", Serah replied nervously. "Hey Serah! So are you ready for your chance to win two tickets for the awesome Fighting Fate concert on Friday?", the host asked with an almost overly motivated voice.

"Sure I am!", Serah answered quickly.

"Great! So here's your question! What was the exact date of Fighting Fate's formation?", the host wanted to know.

Vanille had to stop herself from giggling hysterically. She knew the answer to this. She almost wanted to grab the phone away from Serah to answer the question herself but it wasn't necessary. "It's the 19th of March last year", Serah said with all the calmness she could muster.

"And this is correct of course! CONGRATULATIONS!", the radio host almost screamed out of the radio and into their very hearts, it seemed.

"You have just won the last two remaining tickets for the Fighting Fate concert next week, Serah Farron!", he told her and the two girls couldn't keep themselves calm any longer as both started cheering loudly for some seconds before they had to calm down again for Serah to give her thanks.

She was then put through to another staff member who told her when and where she would be able to pick up her tickets.

It was not much later when Serah and Vanille had picked up their tickets and returned home as excited as they could be. "This is so amazing, Vanille! I still can't believe that we won this!", Serah cried out when they sat down on her bed together.

Vanille nodded her head quickly and started laughing out of sheer happiness. Serah was right, this was just awesome. And she would finally be able to see Fang in person, not only on a television screen. She was already feeling so nervous she was afraid her heart might as well jump out of her chest at any moment.

"Etro, I'm already so excited about this!", Vanille exclaimed before jumping off of the bed and pacing around the small room that was Serah's.

Serah could only smile at this. Her best friend really seemed totally excited, even more so than she was. It was great to see Vanille that happy about the upcoming event, and Serah decided this was a good moment to listen to some music of their favourite musicians and turned on the radio to play their latest album.

Vanille immediately started squealing when the intro of the album came to her ears, a catchy guitar solo played by Fang.

"I love this solo, she's such a talented player, Serah!", Vanille said, her voice full of enthusiasm and her eyes having a strange spark to them.

Serah couldn't help but find this a bit odd. When had she seen this spark before? She tried to remember. Her eyes widened when the sudden realisation hit her. She had seen it before when Vanille had had a crush on that girl from their neighbourhood not so long ago! Could that mean that she ... ?

Maybe. Serah knew the best way to find out whether she was just imagining things or not would be to simply ask openly so that was what she did. "Vanille?"

"Mh?", the girl sat down beside her pink-haired friend again.

"Could it be that you have a crush on Fang?", she asked plainly with a sweet smile playing around her lips. And she got all the confirmation she needed when Vanille immediately turned a bright shade of pink. She had always been bad at hiding things.

"Ehm ... I- ...", she stammered helplessly. Serah couldn't help but giggle before drawing the poor girl beside her into a tight hug.

"It's ok, Vanille! Nothing to be ashamed about, I just noticed your odd behaviour and wanted to know if my guess was right!", Serah comforted her cheerfully and it didn't take long until Vanille, too, found herself laughing again before they parted again.

"So you want to make a move after the concert or so?", Serah finally asked her.

"I don't know ... I haven't given this much thought or even hope to be honest", Vanille confessed while looking down at the bed with a bit of a sad expression. "I mean, she's famous and she has a lot of girls fancying her-"

"Plus you don't only want to have her for one steamy night like all the other groupies, got it", Serah interrupted and finished for her.

"I know this might sound overly optimistic, but why don't you just try it despite the odds? Approach her, be nice, be yourself and maybe you're lucky! You never know what life has in store for you!", Serah encouraged her and patted her on her shoulder lightly.

Vanille smiled despite herself. Normally, she was the optimist of them, but when it came to the endless story of trying to find a girlfriend, she was probably an even bigger pessimist than Lightning.

After all, she'd just recently turned 18 and had still not even kissed a girl, let alone had a girlfriend. She had just never had much luck when it came to love.

"Well, I guess I can try ... somehow", Vanille finally replied shyly and Serah nodded in content. Vanille still wasn't convinced how she - the little, shy, inexperienced Vanille - should even have the slightest chance with the self-confident, tough Fang who was approached regularly by dozens of pretty girls, but then again you really never knew and in her heart she hoped that Serah was right with what she'd said.

The next days passed by quickly and before they knew it, it was finally Friday, the day they had so much waited for.

* * *

**AN: **So this is the first chapter of my very first multi-chapter story in English! Please let me know what you think in the reviews! :)

It's actually funny how I got the idea for the story. I play the guitar myself and I had the thought that it would be pretty cool if Fang were a guitarist of a famous rock band. It just created a cool image of her playing on stage in my mind and I went on thinking about it until I got the idea for this Fanille story.

Anyway, hope you enjoyed it so far and I'll most likely upload the next chapter within the next days.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: **So this took me a little longer to upload than expected, but here it is finally :) Enjoy!

* * *

_Chapter Two_

"Serah! What should I be wearing? I just can't decide!", Vanille desperately called out of her room. When another door down the hallway opened, it wasn't the person she expected coming out, though.

"You've got problems...", she heard Lightning's slightly amused voice when the woman came down the hallway wrapped into a towel and still wet from the shower she'd just taken. She stopped at Vanille's open door and leaned casually against the doorframe, a smirk coming to her face. And Vanille suddenly had the feeling Lightning knew something she herself did not know - yet.

"Light! Where's Serah? I need her advice", Vanille asked her best friend's sister who had grown to like Vanille over the years after the redhead and Serah had become close friends, and so Lightning had finally accepted her into the Farron family. Vanille, being an orphan, couldn't have been happier to have found a new family.

Lightning's smirk widened. "She's in her room, dressing for the concert as well.", the older Farron then said truthfully. Confident with the answer and ignoring Light's still present smirk, Vanille turned around to go through her wardrobe again.

"I ... heard that you like their guitarist... what was her name again?", Lightning finally spoke after seconds of silence. Vanille's eyes widened in surprise immediately as she turned around to face Lightning once more. How did she know?

"Y-yes... how did you learn that?", Vanille replied hesitantly. "And her name's Fang, by the way.", she added.

"It slipped Serah out when we were talking earlier today", Lightning explained, still smirking a little.

"Okay ... so why are you smirking, then?", Vanille asked confusedly.

"I just find it cute, you falling for such a ... womaniser.", Lightning explained. "I mean, wasn't she the one who beds groupies all the time?", Lightning asked, her smirk now absent and replaced by a much more serious thinking face. She seemed concerned.

"Yeah, she's known for it...", Vanille answered while she closed the wardrobe for now to give Lightning all her attention.

"Listen, Vanille. It's just that...", Lightning began but cut herself off, shaking her head in discontent with what she'd wanted to say. She stepped inside the room before she tried to phrase again what was concerning her.

"I'm concerned about that, Vanille. I know that Serah probably told you to just try and get Fang, but I don't think this is such a good idea ... I'm worried you might get hurt", Lightning verbalised her worries, her face reflecting the concerns she felt.

Vanille gulped. She knew what Lightning meant by "getting hurt" without her explaining it explicitly.

And sure, Vanille had had exactly the same fears and doubts: That in the end, she might end up as one on the endless list of women that got laid by Fang, and nothing else. And sure, she didn't want to only get used for sex, this _would_ hurt her.

"I-", Vanille started, suddenly looking very unsure of what to do and directing her gaze on the floor in shame. Wasn't Lightning right? Vanille's doubts about what Serah had told her days before began to grow stronger, telling her to forget about Fang.

"Hey, it's ok. I'm sure you will do whatever you think is right for you", Lightning said with a soft smile on her lips. "I just wanted to make sure you know the risks and everything"

"Thanks, Light. It really means a lot to me", Vanille answered, still feeling a bit confused about her feelings, about Fang, about everything.

Lightning nodded to her and turned around to leave the room when Serah appeared behind her and shot her a confused look before entering the room while Lightning left.

"What was it with Lightning?", she asked Vanille who had once again opened her wardrobe to look through the masses of clothing in it.

"She wanted to warn me about Fang and everything", Vanille explained absentmindedly while going through the clothes again with her finger.

Serah smiled. That was _so_ Lightning. "Oh, so she forbid you to try and get to know her?", she concluded.

That was at least what Lightning had done every time when she had 'warned' Serah about Snow and the other boyfriends before him. It had always resulted in Light's disapproval of them and a more or less strongly vocalised prohibition to continue seeing the man in question.

"No, actually not. I was surprised myself, considering how she always gets it across to you very clearly when she doesn't tolerate your relationship with someone", Vanille said while pulling a jeans skirt out of the wardrobe and placing it beside the other clothes that already lay sprawled on her bed.

"Basically, she just told me that she's concerned about this whole idea with Fang but that she's certain I will make the decision that's right for me.", Vanille explained further while taking more clothes out of the wardrobe.

"It was more like ... some friendly advice to be cautious about this, nothing like her normal strict tone whenever you want to do something she isn't fond of"

"Well, I guess that's because you're not her sister, like me. Definitely an advantage you got there, if you ask me!", Serah said, winking before turning to the pile of clothes on Vanille's bed.

"So, I guess you need some help with choosing your clothes for tonight?", she then asked with an excited smile.

Vanille nodded contentedly. Finally, some distraction from her growing confusion and nervousness about Fang. Lightning certainly hadn't helped her to feel more at ease and less nervous, much on the contrary. But for now, she wiped the doubts away and focused on the task at hand. There would be more time to think about that later.

* * *

It wasn't much later when Vanille and Serah had decided on something the redhead could wear for the concert.

She wore her favourite jeans skirt now, which had about knee-length and therefore was neither too revealing nor too long for the hot weather. Additionally, she had decided on a red shirt with a neckline that showed a little but - same as the skirt - not too much, and some comfortable sandals.

Serah, on the other side, had gone for some black shorts, sneakers and a white top.

"So, you guys already excited?", Snow said while driving the girls to the concert in his car. Lightning had agreed to drive them there, but she had to do an additional shift at work on short notice so they had to ask Snow instead.

"Sure we are!", Serah replied with obvious excitement. "I can't wait to see them there, live!", she said while fidgeting in her seat.

Vanille stayed quiet. She was too excited to say anything anyway, and besides that most of her thoughts were with her crush now. She certainly didn't feel like talking about that at the moment, especially not with Snow who did not yet know about her feelings for Fang. She didn't feel like explaining everything to him right now. Another time, maybe.

"Give me a call when I should pick you up again, alright?", Snow asked with a wink when they arrived at the concert hall and the car came to a standstill on the public parking area.

Serah gave him a quick peck on the lips before they got out.

"Sure, we'll call you! And thanks", she said sweetly before the girls began to wander off towards the hall where they could already see a crowd of people standing outside, obviously waiting to be finally let in. But they were all a bit early and so they would have to be patient for some while longer.

After what felt like hours but were actually merely minutes of waiting, the crowd was finally allowed into the hall and everyone practically stormed in to get a place in the front row.

Luckily, Serah and Vanille were among the faster people and found themselves in the very first row, directly before the stage. This was especially fortunate for them as they were both not exactly tall. In the first row, there would be no one standing in front of them blocking their line of sight.

The fans had to wait another few minutes, which again felt like an eternity, before the supporting act, "Forever Fugitives", walked onto the stage to greet them. Their style was quite similar to the kind of music Fighting Fate used to play, which was basically hard rock music, and they put on quite a good show and tried their best to entertain the crowd.

But still, it was clear that everyone was waiting for Fighting Fate so even though the act did a good job, the crowd was almost relieved when they finally thanked everybody and left the stage.

The excitement among the crowd was growing so strong you could feel it in the air, and Vanille was certain her heart was beating so fast that it might just explode at any second now. Serah seemed to feel similar as she held Vanille's hand nervously in her own while they stared onto the still dark stage, waiting for Fighting Fate to come and play for them.

* * *

"Okay, everyone ready?", Fang heard Sazh's voice beside her and turned around.

She nodded. "Sure, let's do this, the people are waitin'!", she said with a confident smirk coming to her face.

She was nervous, but she knew that just like every time it would pass away the moment she would enter the stage and see all those fans in front of her, screaming in excitement for the band they had all waited and longed for.

But before she walked onto the stage - Fang was normally always the first to go onto the stage, followed by the others a few seconds after - she turned to the completely nervous looking Hope again and patted him on the shoulder.

"You can do it, kid", she then told him reassuringly before turning towards the stage again and giving her okay by raising her hand while starting to walk.

She grabbed her purple-black guitar while walking on the part of the stage where all the instruments and equipment stood and that was still hidden from the crowd.

She secured the guitar with its leather belt and then started playing the guitar intro to the first song while she continued to walk until she was in the part of the stage where the fans could see her. She was immediately greeted with excited applause and screams and she couldn't help but smirk broadly. Etro, she loved this.

* * *

Vanille couldn't contain herself any longer and started screaming in pure excitement when finally, they heard the well-known guitar intro to the song "Blinded By Light" and saw Fang walking nonchalantly into their line of sight while playing it, a relaxed smirk adorning her beautiful face. She came to a stand right in front of the two girls.

This was truly better than Vanille could've ever imagined and she believed her heart had skipped a beat the moment she had first laid eyes upon the woman her heart craved.

She squeezed Serah's hand which she still held tightly in her own and her best friend gave her a sweet smile which managed to get so many thoughts across without Serah saying only one word.

And right then, in this moment, she felt like all the doubts were blown away again. Maybe Serah _was _right.

She heard her best friend scream beside her when after mere seconds the other band members entered the stage and their singer, Cid, immediately started singing and playing the white bass he held tightly in his hands while Sazh sat down behind the drums and Hope walked over to the other side of the stage and started playing on his golden guitar as well.

* * *

It was a great atmosphere, the Bodhum fans really knew how to enjoy themselves. They had just finished their second song for the evening and Fang knew that now it was time for their first ballad. She could already hear Hope playing the intro to the song while Cid began singing.

She smiled more to herself when she began playing her part as well. The song, "Focus", had some quite emotional lyrics about love and how two people find each other and feel like it's been what they've been waiting for all their lives.

_Quite soppy_, she thought while she concentrated on her guitar once again.

When the song reached its climax and Fang played one of her famous solos, she finally took some time to let her gaze wander a bit more and watch the crowd directly in front of her to see their reactions, their emotions.

It was then that she noticed one girl in particular. A cute little redhead stood there right before her, and she watched Fang in total awe, her green eyes having an intense spark to them that immediately almost magically seemed to draw Fang's gaze to them.

When their eyes met for a brief moment, it was as if time had come to a standstill. It was as if everything around them had stopped existing for this very moment before Fang had to force herself to look away again. She had to concentrate on the song, after all.

She noticed, however, that from that moment on, she felt the urge to look into these emerald eyes once more for the rest of the concert.

But she tried her best to avoid looking there again. It was somewhat pleasant, yes, but it also distracted her from playing and it made her feel so strangely good in her stomach area - and that frightened her because she didn't recognise the feeling.

But then again, it were probably just her hormones talking because she found the girl hot, because she wanted to spend a night with her. Or that was what she was trying to convince herself of.

* * *

"Maaan, wasn't this a great concert?", Serah loudly asked her best friend as they walked away from the stage after the concert.

Vanille nodded in agreement. Yes, it had been a great concert indeed and the band had been phenomenal, but there was something else on her mind that was even more important to her right now.

"Hey, you ok? You seem a bit ... distracted", Serah said when they stopped in the entrance hall.

"Yeah. Have you seen the look she gave me? I mean, while they played the first ballad", Vanille said with a broad smile on her face. Serah couldn't help but grin. Of course she had seen.

"You mean that moment when the two of you stared into each other's eyes like ... I don't know ... some love-struck teenagers or something?", Serah replied and her grin widened.

"Thank Etro! I was afraid I've only been imagining things", Vanille sighed in relief. She had really had her doubts if only she had interpreted Fang's gaze the way she did, but obviously Serah agreed with her.

"No I think it was quite the look she shot over to you!", Serah encouraged her further and took her hands in hers.

"Hey, why don't we go to the autograph session after? It starts in I think fifteen minutes", she suggested happily.

Vanille nodded quickly. Another chance to see Fang again and to even get an autograph from her? Oh yes, she could never say no to such an opportunity.

* * *

When they arrived in the room where the autograph session took place, there was already a queue in front of a long table.

The band sat on chairs behind the table and one after one, starting on the right with Hope and finishing left with Fang, the fans could walk from one to the other to get their autographs.

Serah and Vanille lined up at the end of the queue, with Serah behind Vanille. Vanille, obviously, became more and more nervous the closer they came to the table, which didn't take long at all.

When they were only a few people away from it, Vanille's nervousness reached the point at which she felt like it was all too much and all of this suddenly seemed like a _very_ bad idea. Hesitantly, she turned around to Serah.

"S-Serah?", she stammered. "Maybe ... I don't know- It's quite late, you see, maybe we should just call Snow and leave...", she almost whispered to her best friend.

"What?", Serah replied in surprise, but it only took her a second to understand why Vanille would ask something like that. She was afraid. Afraid to stand right before her crush, to look into her eyes again and to speak to her directly.

"Oh, I get it now", Serah then said kindly and Vanille blushed.

Serah figured it must be an enormous pressure for Vanille, after all it was not only her crush she would be talking to for the first time, it was also the guitarist of the band they adored so much.

Serah smiled, remembering what she had told Vanille when she had learnt about her crush. "Hey, no worries, Vanille! I know you can do it. Remember, just be yourself! You never know what life has in store for you, that's what I told you the other day, right? Maybe something happens between you two!"

"Are you sure? I mean...", Vanille started, still unsure although Serah's words had certainly made it better.

"Of course I'm sure! What do you have to lose? And besides ... I think you don't quite have much choice, it's your turn!", Serah said with a grin and pointed at the table behind Vanille who was now first in queue.

Vanille turned around in utter shock and stood now directly in front of Hope, who was smiling a bit nervously himself.

They talked a little and she got his autograph on a poster of the band before she said her thanks and went on to Cid and after him Sazh to get their autographs as well.

Serah was right behind her all the time, and it helped a lot when she finally moved to the left once more and stood right in front of Fang. She put her poster on the table for Fang to sign and smiled, but she didn't know what to say. Her nervousness had sealed her lips.

But it was Fang who took that burden from her quickly. "Hey", she started with a smirk.

"You stood in the first row, right? I remember you", Fang said, her eyes not leaving Vanille's for one second. Vanille felt like she would faint any second when she opened her mouth to give some sort of reply.

"Y-Yes... that's right", she managed to get out, her voice a total mess and she believed there was a faint blush on her face as well.

Fang chuckled. "You're cute. Really, you are. What's your name, sweetie?", Fang asked her.

At that point, Vanille was absolutely not in the condition to think clearly anymore, but she could've sworn she saw that same spark in Fang's eyes again that she'd already seen when their gazes met during the concert as the brunette now told her she found her cute and asked her name. And the way her usual smirk became something more, something more like a ... happy smile.

"Vanille", she said shyly. "The name's Vanille", she added and folded her hands, stroking over the knuckles nervously.

"Vanille ... what a nice name you got there", Fang said before averting her gaze from Vanille's for the first time when she took a pen from the table to write on the poster.

When she was done, she hesitated for a moment before she reached out her hand to shake hands with her. -Wait, was her hand trembling?- "Nice meeting you, Vanille", she said, her smile still present.

Vanille took her hand and shook it and Etro, this had to be the most electrifying handshake she had ever received. "Thank you and nice meeting you too, Fang", she managed to get out before taking her poster and wandering off a bit to wait for Serah.

While waiting, she tried to contain her disappointment. She knew she'd blown her chance.

Moments later, Serah came to her with a big smile all over her face. Vanille obviously didn't need to tell Serah how it went with Fang, she had been right behind her and had witnessed everything herself. But how could she smile so broadly, then?

"Well, I guess it was nice and everything, but I didn't manage to flirt with her...", Vanille started, the disappointment with herself evident in her voice as she lowered her gaze onto the floor.

Serah shook her head vehemently and took Vanille's chin in her hand to make her look up again. "Are you serious, Vanille?", she burst out almost angrily at her friend. But it took her only a moment to relax again.

"I mean, seriously, I've seen the looks both of you shot each other, and that was _totally_ flirting!", Serah exclaimed followed by a giggle.

She swiftly took her phone from her purse to send Snow a text message to let him know that they wanted to be picked up while they walked out of the building into the night to wait for him.

"So, you mean she was also ... flirting with me?", Vanille hopefully asked Serah once she had stored her phone in her purse again.

Serah nodded happily. "Sure, even a blind person would've seen that! And besides, you can't tell me you didn't hear her calling you cute".

Serah winked suggestively and arched an eyebrow at Vanille which made the redhead blush again, but only for a short moment before she managed to calm herself down again.

"Oh come on Serah, she probably says that to every girl", Vanille brushed it aside. Sure, she hoped that Fang had really meant this in a more personal way, but her mind forbade her to get too excited over all of this. After all, nothing really happened between them, right?

"Might be, but that still doesn't explain all those gazes", Serah insisted.

"I mean come on, I've been given an autograph by her as well, and I swear I didn't see her giving me _those_ looks! She totally liked you, I know it", Serah added. She was completely sure of what she'd seen and she was determined to not let Vanille's pessimism get in her way.

"Maybe she was just so nice because she wanted to bed me. You know she does that often enough with groupies", Vanille tried to explain Serah's arguments away once again.

"But why didn't she go as far as that, then? Why didn't she ask you, then?", Serah countered quickly. "Explain that away, Vanille!"

"She might've simply changed her mind, Serah, you don't know that! Maybe she saw another girl she liked more so she didn't want to ask me anymore!", Vanille answered swiftly. But she knew as well as Serah that this discussion would get them nowhere, as neither of them were able to read Fang's mind.

But before any of them could've brought up another argument, they saw Snow's car driving onto the parking area and walked over to where he parked.

Once Serah had told Snow about everything they had experienced - well, everything except for the sensitive parts with Fang Vanille didn't want him to know about yet - their ride home was quite silent. Neither knew what to say and fatigue overcame them which made it hard to think of any topics for conversation.

Needless to say, they immediately went to bed when they arrived home. There would be enough time for talking the next day.

* * *

She could hear the loud music coming from Sazh's room beside her, accompanied by the muffled sounds of talking getting through the wall of her hotel room.

Fang sat on her bed with her back against the headboard. The others were obviously having quite a party over there, and normally, she would be with them. They often did that after a good concert when they knew that there was no work the next day, and it was always an awful lot of fun for everyone.

But today, Fang had left the party with a bad excuse after only a short time. She just didn't feel like partying. She couldn't recall that this had ever happened before.

Fang not being in the mood for a party, that was a paradox as far as she had been concerned before tonight, anyway.

She sighed and stared at the ceiling. _Okay, let's get this sorted out_, she thought. She knew very well what the problem was. She was aware of the fact that she had only left the party because she had not been able to forget about _her_, to keep her out of her mind for just some fucking ten minutes at least.

_Vanille_, she repeated the name in her mind. It was truly a beautiful name. She smiled. Yes, she had really meant what she had told the girl for once. That she was cute, that she had a nice name.

Normally, Fang just casually dropped such phrases when she 'convinced' girls to spend the night with her. But they were just hollow lines, things she only said to score with girls. They didn't mean anything.

But tonight, it had been so different. She had actually meant what she'd said. Every single word of it. But _why_, she asked herself, _Why didn't I take the chance to bed her, just as always? I could've had her_, she thought.

She was interrupted, however, when there was a series of knocks on her door. She had an idea who that could be and she found she was right when she opened the door. It was Sazh.

"Hey Sazh, what're you doin' here? The party gettin' boring?", she asked casually and chuckled to hide her true emotions from him. But there was no use and she knew that.

"I thought I might check on ya, you left early ... not exactly normal for someone like you", he explained himself while Fang let him into her room and sat on the bed again. He quickly sat down beside her, smiling.

"So, you want to talk about it?", he asked in his usual friendly manner. He had always been some kind of father for all of them, and it was no different with Fang, even though she had a habit of ignoring his advice more often than not.

"Mh... I don't know, it is something I'm not really sure about myself", she said thoughtfully while leaning against the headboard again.

"Maybe you understand it once you talk about it", Sazh suggested. "I'm not pushin' ya, though. If it's too personal, that's also fine", he added, putting up his hands in defence.

Fang still wasn't sure whether or not she really wanted to share these feelings with him. He was a friend, yes, but she had always kept a certain distance to everyone in her life, ever since she had grown up in the orphanage after her parents had died when she'd been a small kid.

She didn't know if this wasn't too personal indeed, if it wouldn't allow him access to parts of herself that she normally kept hidden from everyone. But then again, she had this awful feeling that she wouldn't get much sleep tonight if she didn't find an explanation for all of this, and obviously she hadn't been very successful at it so far on her own.

"Well," she started and scratched her head. "There was somethin' at the concert tonight that I can't quite explain that was odd", she started vaguely and looked over to him.

And suddenly, she found him smiling broadly in front of her. _What has gotten into his mind now?_, she suspiciously wondered.

"Let me guess. Is it about this red-haired girl with the pigtails you met at the autograph session? You've been acting strangely ever since", his grin widened.

Fang opened her mouth in surprise. How did he always know? This really wasn't the first time he had found out what was bothering her before she even had a chance to explain it herself.

As if to answer her unvoiced question, he shrugged his shoulders. "Guess I have a talent to read people's minds or somethin'", he explained, laughing.

"So, what's the matter with her?", he inquired more seriously again.

"I flirted with her but I didn't screw her", Fang explained shortly and in such an awkward way that it earned another laugh from Sazh.

"Oookay ... so where's the problem? You suddenly didn't find her attractive enough anymore or what?", he asked.

"No, I just couldn't go further. I was ... nervous, and on top of that I really _meant_ the things I said to her.", she knew that what she was saying must sound awfully hilarious to someone who didn't know her and obviously even to somebody who _did_ know her, like Sazh. But she hoped he would understand her problem.

"I think I catch your meaning, even though it does all sound a bit funny the way you explain it", Sazh admitted as he came down from his laughter.

"So, let me sum this up so far: you say you were nervous and you just couldn't bring yourself to go further and offer her sex, plus you made compliments to her that you actually meant, right?", he asked.

Fang nodded, but quickly added the little moment they had shared during the concert to let Sazh know everything there was, and the man scratched his head in thought while staring at the bed before he locked eyes with her once again. He had an idea why Fang behaved so strangely but he wanted to know more before he would tell her what he had in mind.

"Do you know why you couldn't take it further, as usual?", he asked her curiously and clasped his hands in his lap.

She hadn't quite been able yet to name the feeling herself. What was it that had made it impossible for her to offer Vanille sex without getting a bad conscience?

"It didn't feel right.", she started, when suddenly, the word plopped up in her mind. _Guilt._

"I felt guilty for even thinking about the option to-", she went on but couldn't find the right words to finish her sentence.

"-to use her like this?", Sazh tried to help her out and she could only nod. That was exactly what it felt like.

"I've never thought about it this way, I mean it isn't really using people, is it? They want it, I want it, so I've never seen a problem there.", she reasoned.

"But that has changed now with her, hasn't it? The way you see it, I mean", Sazh wanted to know with a friendly smile on his face.

"I guess so", Fang said with confusion written all over her face.

"Fang?", he asked with a strange tone to his voice. She looked at him with a questioning face.

"Do me a favour, will ya? Think of her right now and tell me how you feel"

Fang did as he asked her to, and it brought a smile to her face. A smile she couldn't hide in time.

"It feels nice, like ... a mix of excitement and happiness, similar to the feeling when we're playing on stage, but yet different, it's not exactly the same", she tried to explain while staring into the darkness of the dimly lit room to concentrate, her smile widening.

Sazh grinned widely. "It's ok. I think I know what ya 'problem' is"

She turned her head to the left to look him straight in his brown eyes again. He definitely had her undivided attention.

"You've got a crush on her, and it seems to be quite a strong one, if I may say so", he said with an almost goofy grin plastering his face.

Fang gulped. A crush? Like when you really, really like someone and want to be together with them? When it's not just about sex, and sex only?

She didn't notice that she had actually spoken her thoughts out loud until Sazh reacted to them.

"Exactly that. You've really never been in love with someone or anything even close to that, right?", he asked kindly.

"No, it has always crept the fuck outta me, I guess", she answered with a dry laugh.

But there was so much truth to her statement, and it showed Sazh how much fear there lay underneath Fang's solid facade. Fear to be close to someone, and even more so the fear to love someone and let them in her heart.

It didn't really surprise him to see all this so clearly before him in the way she acted and unknowingly revealed so much right now. Somehow, he had always known since the day he met her. After all, he had quite some life experience with his forty years.

"I guess so", he simply answered absentmindedly before stretching his arms a little.

"So what am I supposed to do now? This is all a little strange, to be honest", she said and wiped some hair from her face.

"That's up to you, Fang. As always.", he said while climbing from the bed and walking towards the door with Fang following closely behind him.

He turned around once more when he stood in the doorway.

"But let me suggest one thing: Listen to your heart, it's the right way to go. It's a lesson I had to learn as well, and it took me almost forty years to do so.", he said with a kind smile adorning his features.

"Maybe you're faster, Fang". He winked before walking off towards his room again where the party was still happening. Fang found herself smiling as well as she closed the door behind him and decided to call it a night.

* * *

**AN: **As always, I hope you enjoyed this part and if you have any thoughts, suggestions or criticism, feel free to leave a review :)

The next chapter will probably take about a week or a little longer to upload but hopefully I'm faster.


	3. Chapter 3

_Chapter Three_

There she was. Her cute face only metres away from her. Fang approached her, smiling. _You're beautiful, you know that?_, she heard herself saying to the young girl in front of her who in return smiled broadly.

She took her small hands in hers as she stepped closer, still not breaking the smile. _At long last I've found you_, she said before leaning in to kiss her. Just when their lips were about to touch, Fang awoke.

_Always the same with those devious dreams_, she thought with a sigh before taking a quick glance at the clock and getting up. It was Saturday, and even better than that, it was a holiday for them. No work today.

She stepped under the shower and her thoughts were immediately drawn back to the dream she'd just had moments ago. Remembering what Sazh had said, she wondered if this dream had been some kind of message from her heart or something. _It sure was soppy enough_, she laughed inwardly.

Sazh had told her to listen to her heart, sure, and now there was this romantic dream that had felt absolutely divine, but there was something stirring inside her that made her feel bad about all of this. Could this be ... fear? She wasn't certain.

But there was one thing she was certain about now: She wanted to see Vanille again and just see what her heart would say to this. This would probably be the only way to find peace, no matter how it would eventually end up.

There was just one problem: She had no idea how to find her.

She decided to go out alone a bit, maybe Lady Luck was on her side and she would find something out about her somehow. She guessed she would probably have the best chances in the city centre area so that was where she went. It wasn't far from her hotel.

* * *

"Vanille, are you finally done there or what?", Serah called from the hallway. They had wanted to leave for the city about ten minutes ago.

"In a minute", it came from Vanille's room who had taken so long because she had lost herself in thoughts about Fang once again.

They hadn't yet had any time to discuss the matter again since their debate after the concert, and unsurprisingly, her thoughts kept wandering off between hope and doubt all the time.

But what did it matter anymore anyway? She had had her chance and she had blown it. There may or may not have been some interest on Fang's side but what did it even matter when she hadn't acted upon it? That could only mean that Vanille hadn't presented herself as interesting enough to be worth her time. She had to deal with it.

She sighed when she finally got up from the chair in front of her desk and took her purse. She left her room and found Serah already waiting impatiently in the hallway.

"Sorry", Vanille said with an excusing smile and Serah only shook her head with a smile of her own before they went down the stairs together. They quickly said their goodbyes to Lightning and left the house.

"Any place in particular you want to go?", Vanille asked Serah while they walked towards the city centre.

"No, I had nothing in mind exactly. Let's just see where we end up", the pink-haired girl replied with a shrug of her shoulders.

They agreed on that and went in silence for another few moments before Serah brought up the topic that had been haunting their minds all along. "So, how do you feel about her now?", she wanted to know.

"I guess I came to the conclusion that there's not much point in thinking about whether or not she found me interesting because as the situation is, she didn't do anything to be able to see me again somehow, so ...", Vanille shrugged her shoulders, trying to present herself more relaxed than she actually really felt about this.

She knew that her heart inwardly bled when she even thought about this whole thing with Fang, but she didn't want to show Serah. "I think it's pretty clear", she finished her sentence.

Serah, however, wasn't stupid. That, and she had known Vanille long enough to see through the facade. "It's okay to be sad, Vanille", was all she said while taking her hand in hers to comfort her.

But as much as she wanted it, she knew there was nothing she could really say against what Vanille had just stated. She had a point, unfortunately.

This was especially sad for Serah because she knew how much Vanille wanted to finally find someone. It must be a real pain if every single person you fell in love with so far has turned you down, but that was the sad reality that was Vanille's love life, and Serah had more than only a bit compassion for that.

"Well, maybe she was just a bit ... nervous and unsure of what to do herself", Serah tried a bit half-heartedly to comfort her friend. She didn't even believe this herself, the self-confident, flirtatious Fang nervous and unsure? Yeah sure, and the next thing she would come up with would be to call Lightning an undisciplined person or some rubbish like that.

Vanille gave her an incredulous look. "You don't even believe that yourself, do you?"

Serah sighed. "No, I guess not ...", she said.

They walked the rest of the short way to the city centre in a comfortable silence, taking in the once again nice warm weather and the bright sun shining down on their heads. It was almost awfully hot today but they enjoyed it nevertheless. It was summer, after all.

Once they reached the part of the city centre where the most shops, restaurants and cafés could be found, they decided to visit one of their favourite cafés and have some ice cream.

Not wanting to ruin Vanille's good mood again, Serah deliberately avoided the sensitive topic and they enjoyed themselves for a little while before deciding that they definitely needed to go and do some window shopping.

They left the café and did just that and unsurprisingly, it didn't take them long to find a shop that lured them in with its ads and the beautiful clothes presented in the windows.

Vanille giggled when she realised which shop they had just entered. "Hey, this is the shop we dragged Light into the other day, remember? That was so much fun!", she laughed to her best friend who could only agree with a big evil grin herself.

"Oh yes, I still believe that this traumatised her. After all, she had to wait for us for like two and a half hours.", Serah said before she turned around to Vanille behind her.

"I would've expected her to lose her temper sooner or later, I wonder why she stayed so calm", she shrugged her shoulders.

"That must've been because she knew very well that she had promised you to go shopping with us after you had complained about her working so much all the time", Vanille remembered with a thinking face.

"But anyway, let's look around!", she exclaimed joyfully.

* * *

Fang had been roaming the seemingly endless city centre area of Bodhum for what felt like days but was in fact only about an hour.

She had stopped at some places and asked if anyone knew a girl named Vanille, hoping that the somewhat exotic name would make it easier to find her but it hadn't paid off so far.

And slowly, she found herself losing hope. _Even if I find her, what should I possibly say to her? What am I supposed to do? I can't just walk up to her and bluntly ask for her number, can I ?!_, she reasoned to make herself feel better.

She sighed while she walked through the endless streets of Bodhum. She didn't really know if it made much sense to go on asking random shop owners for Vanille, especially because she had already been recognised by some of them and had immediately been asked for autographs and photos. That wasn't wholly annoying and normally she liked having some contact with her fans but right now it felt like a waste of time.

Fang continued thinking if there wasn't any other chance to find Vanille, when she remembered that she hadn't attended the concert alone. She'd had this pink-haired girl with her, and by the looks of it she must've been a close friend of her.

But Fang immediately shook her head at the thought. She couldn't remember the girl's name, even though she had given her an autograph as well. There was no chance she would be able to find her this way.

For lack of other options, Fang decided to give it another go and just ask some more shop owners. The first shop she entered was apparently a clothing shop for women, and she took a moment to briefly look around after she'd taken off her sunglasses.

As she quickly noticed, this was quite a large shop with two floors and she toyed with the thought of doing some shopping while she was here anyway, even though many of the clothes she saw didn't fit her usual style which often included at least one part out of leather.

"Good afternoon! How may I help you, madam?", she heard a friendly lady asking her while approaching her.

"Hello", Fang started politely. "I'm actually here because I'm lookin' for someone who might or might not have been here..", she said, clasping her hands.

The lady nodded kindly. "Oh I see. Unfortunately, however, I can't give you any customer-related information", the woman said apologetically.

_Damn_, Fang thought. She wouldn't be able to find out Vanille's full name or anything that might help her to contact her this way - if she'd been here at all.

"I see. Thank you for your help anyway", Fang answered with a hint of a smile.

"I'm sorry", the lady said politely. "Is there anything else I can do for you?", she added after a short break.

_Whatever, might as well do some shopping while I'm here_. Fang shrugged her shoulders. "No thanks, but I think I'll look around a bit", she answered.

"Okay! Please call me if you need anything", the saleslady responded and wandered off to leave Fang alone.

Fang roamed the shop a little and as she didn't find anything she particularly liked much, she decided to go and see what she would find upstairs.

What she wasn't prepared for, though, was the sight when she reached the first floor. She could directly see the changing rooms across from her at the end of the big room and right there, waiting before them, stood the pink-haired girl that had attended the concert with Vanille. Or at least the girl had exactly the same hairstyle and the rare pink hair colour.

Fang shook her head to make sure she had seen right but as the girl was quite a few metres away and was also standing with her back to her, she decided the only way to get clarity was to go there.

She gulped, and all of a sudden she felt unusually nervous again, just like at the concert. Nervousness was normally one of these things people wouldn't ever associate with Fang. She was just not the type to get nervous. She was the cool, self-confident woman with the signature smirk, and that was it.

Even the little nervousness she felt before concerts faded away within her first seconds on stage, but this right now was something completely different, something much more harmless actually.

She tried to shake it off whilst nearing the girl that still stood in front of the changing rooms. She wondered if the person she was waiting for was Vanille.

"Gods, what are you doing in there, Vanille?", Serah impatiently called out. Vanille had already been in there for quite some time. She normally didn't take _that_ long.

"One sec!", Vanille replied quickly.

Fang immediately froze as she heard the girl dropping Vanille's name. So she _was_ the right girl andshe was there with her!

Determined, she closed the last few metres that separated her from the girl and cleared her throat, as all of a sudden, her usual boldness returned seemingly out of nowhere and she was happy about it.

Serah heard someone clearing their throat to her left but she couldn't have anticipated who was standing before her right then and there as she turned around. She could only open her mouth in surprise as she saw who it was.

Fang's smirk immediately found its way back on her lips as she saw the reaction of the girl. "Well, well, guess I caught you a bit off guard here, yeah?", Fang said as she found that apparently, her usual self-confidence had returned almost at full strength. Good.

"Ehm", Serah stammered helplessly. "You- I mean ... What a surprise meeting you here!", Serah said, trying to regain her composure quickly. She certainly did not want to embarrass herself any further in front of a band member of her favourite band!

Fang chuckled. _Too cute_. "Yeah, that's what I thought as well. I recognised you from the concert", she hid the fact that she had actually actively been searching for her, or more specifically, Vanille.

"You're here with your friend, with Vanille, right?", Fang asked nonchalantly, not wanting to show the girl that this was actually the only reason why she stood here.

A smile crept upon Serah's features. _Oh, this is why you're here, right?_, she thought almost devilishly as she saw through Fang's nonchalant, relaxed facade in merely a second. Apparently, Fang was almost as bad at hiding things as Vanille, or maybe Serah just had a talent to expose what lay beneath?

Either way, she couldn't have been happier at that moment. "Yeah, she's trying on some new skirt at the moment and she's taking quite long, obviously", Serah said, shrugging her shoulders in an apologetic manner.

"Serah? Who are you talking to there?", Vanille suddenly asked.

"Oh, it's just a mutal acquaintance of ours", she winked at Fang and her grin returned to her face. Fang couldn't help but smirk. She liked the game Serah seemed to be playing with Vanille.

"Really? Cool, who is it?", Vanille asked and they could hear a zipper being pulled up. Apparently she had finally managed to get on the skirt.

Fang opened her mouth so say something but Serah put her finger on her own lips before she called out to Vanille again. "Why don't you come out and see yourself?" You could almost hear her smiling broadly.

"Okay! One moment!", Vanille responded before there were some rustling noises and finally, the cabin opened and she came out in a knee-long orange skirt that looked wonderful on her.

The skirt, however, was quickly forgotten as she saw who the "mutual acquaintance" that had shown up was. She could only gasp, realising that she was standing right before her crush who in return was smirking at her with her right hand nonchalantly at her hip.

But Fang was far away from feeling as relaxed as she tried to appear through her body language. In fact, the nervousness she had managed to brush aside just moments ago had returned with a force the moment Vanille had come out of the cabin.

Still, she didn't want to show it, didn't want to display that she liked the girl too openly. So she tried her best to hide it underneath her nonchalant behaviour.

She had a feeling, though, that Serah didn't buy it and also hadn't been fooled by her earlier attempts to hide how important meeting Vanille _really _was for her.

"Hey, how you doin'?", Fang started to break the ice as Vanille stood there in utter silence, apparently completely shocked, her mouth wide open.

"I'm- I'm fine", Vanille managed to get out with a nervous smile. "I- ehm", she tried to get out some sort of phrase, but she honestly didn't know what to say.

Fang saw the desperate situation the girl was in and knew it was her turn to say something. But what? She didn't really know herself. Fang Yun at a loss of words. The second thing today that Fang didn't exactly experience often.

And suddenly, she realised it was now or never. She just had to do what she really wanted to, no matter if it came surprising and out of nowhere or even totally inappropriate for Vanille, or Serah or the rest of the world. She had to ask her out for a coffee, a drink or whatever. She had to show her she was interested in her, and now! No matter how unused she was to the butterflies in her stomach, no matter how new this was to her.

Serah seemed to notice the thoughts going on in Fang's head and as their gazes met for a short moment, the look her eyes gave Fang's jade ones could only be interpreted as a reassuring "Just do it".

Without further hesitation, Fang focused her gaze on Vanille once again who had a light blush on her face. "Vanille", she started with a gentleness to her voice that surprised even herself.

The girl who had looked away from her in embarrassment, forced her eyes to meet hers once more and only then Fang continued.

"You caught my attention at the concert, ya know", Fang said and saw a bright spark in the redhead's eyes at her words which gave her a boost in confidence as she continued.

"So ... I'd like to ask you out for a drink", she finished and felt relief wash over her. She had done it. Now it was up to Vanille to respond, but Fang had a feeling that she wouldn't get turned down by the girl that obviously had a huge crush on her if Fang hadn't totally misinterpreted her behaviour.

And she got further proof for her theory as the girl's eyes flashed once more, even brighter this time. Vanille could only nod enthusiastically as she felt she had lost her voice the moment Fang had asked for ... a date? Was this a date? She didn't know and didn't care right now. She would've taken _any_ opportunity to get to know Fang.

"Yes, I'd really like that", she managed to respond shyly as her voice returned after a moment.

Fang found herself smiling, and as she glanced over to Serah, she saw she wasn't the only one. Apparently, the girl really seemed to be sincerely happy for her friend.

"Great! So ... how about tonight at Lebreau's? I got no idea if that's a good bar but it looked quite nice as the guys and I walked by the other day", Fang asked with a small laugh.

Serah giggled. "Lebreau's? Well that's a funny coincidence. That's our favourite bar!", she exclaimed happily and Vanille nodded in agreement.

"Good to know", Fang said with a short nod of her head. "So, are ya in, Vanille?", she asked the girl again with a slight smirk. Apparently, her nervousness slowly faded away again the more she talked to her.

"Absolutely", the girl exclaimed. As it seemed, Fang wasn't the only one relaxing more. "When?", she wanted to know and put her hand on Serah's back.

"How 'bout ... eight?", Fang asked, arching her eyebrows. Vanille nodded in agreement.

"Yep, alright", she said with a bubbly tone to her voice Fang couldn't help but find extremely cute.

"Cool, then I see ya there", Fang sealed the deal and made to walk away, but not before turning around once more. She had a cheeky thing on her mind she just had to say.

"And... Vanille?", she started. "I'd keep the skirt, it looks good on ya", she said with a flirtatious tone to her voice and accompanied it with a wink before turning around again, raising her hand as a gesture to say goodbye, and left the girls.

As she left the building she was quite content with herself. She had not only defeated her nervousness it seemed - at least for now - no, she had also managed to ask Vanille out.

She was quite proud of that, especially regarding the fact that she had never had a crush on someone before. These strange feelings were still unusual and new to her, and she had never asked a girl out, had never had a date before. This was all so new, and yet she felt she had done well so far. It made her smile happily as she returned to the hotel.

She was determined to find out if this was truly what her heart wanted. But inside, she knew the answer to that question already.

* * *

Vanille and Serah , on the other side, expressed their shared happiness about what had just happened moments ago by drawing each other in a tight hug while squealing in excitement - not too loud though, they were still in the shop after all.

"I can't believe what just happened!", Vanille almost screamed.

Serah could only laugh happily. And she really was happy for her friend. It seemed after so long, Vanille would have her first date right this evening, and even better, it was with Fang Yun of all people!

"So why do you think she asked me out?", Vanille wanted to know once she had gone into the changing room once again to try the last two remaining garments on.

"Isn't that obvious? She _likes_ you, silly!", Serah replied with a giggle. She couldn't quite understand how Vanille could still have her doubts about this - or why would she ask such a question in the first place?!

Vanille giggled nervously. "I guess you're right, I just can't believe that she would be interested in me", she replied while trying on a shirt.

"Believe me, she _does_ like you. I'm sure of it. She tried to hide it a bit by pretending to be all relaxed and nonchalant but I could see right through it. She was probably almost as nervous as you, Vanille.", Serah explained what she had witnessed to her friend.

"Also, didn't you see the fire burning in her eyes while she talked to you?", Serah inquired further.

"I don't know, I was too nervous to notice much, you know!", she said with a happy tone to her voice. She had really been extremely nervous but right now, all she could do was be happy about it, about everything.

"Anyway, don't worry. I know what I've seen. Seems like even the great Fang Yun isn't all the self-confident, cool flirt when she has a crush on someone!", Serah giggled. "Though she recovered a bit the longer you guys were talking"

Vanille came out of the cabin with a white shirt and the orange skirt Fang had liked on. "What do you think?", she asked Serah, pointing at the shirt and skirt.

"I think you got your outfit for tonight!", Serah exclaimed. "She liked the skirt- and damn, this shirt really draws a lot of attention to your breasts", Serah admired her friend while shamelessly staring at her bosom.

Vanille blushed heavily. "So ... you think this is good?", she asked self-consciously.

"Of course it is! I mean, you want to show her what you have to offer, right?", Serah said in a suggestive manner and winked.

Vanille facepalmed at this. She just couldn't help it, this just had to be Serah's most embarrassing comment of the day. But she quickly recovered, asking once more to find the reassurance she needed. "So you mean you find me attractive in this?"

"Absolutely! She will like it, I'm sure of it! And now let's pay and leave, I can't wait to tell Lightning about this!", Serah giggled in pure excitement and Vanille soon joined her while they made their way downstairs, paid and walked home talking about the day, Fang and how they anticipated Lightning would react to the news.

* * *

**AN: **Please review and let me know what you think! :) Hope you liked the chapter.

And oh my god, I was sooo hyped today when I read that Fang will be in Lightning Returns :D Now I'm just basically dying to learn more about Vanille's role in LR. Because I'm pretty certain they won't leave her out when Fang is in the game. I just hope they won't separate the two, I loved their moments together in XIII. And a small part of me still hopes they make FangxVanille canon (that would be sooo cool!), but I doubt it'll happen. :/ Gay couples are, unfortunately, still a big deal in video games. That's at least my impression.

Anyway ... just to let you know, I suppose I'll be able to get the next chapter up in approximately one week, maybe a little earlier.


	4. Chapter 4

**AN:** Hey guys! Here's the new chapter finally. As always, I hope you like it.

Also, I'd like to give a big thanks to you reviewers for sharing your thoughts on the story with me! I really appreciate this and it's quite motivating to get some sort of feedback and support :)

Aaand now ... enjoy!

* * *

_Chapter Four_

"You what?", Lightning asked Vanille who could only smile happily.

"It's right, Claire! She has a date with Fang!", Serah exclaimed cheerfully. Lightning was completely dumbstruck at the news. She really hadn't anticipated _that_.

"That's ... unexpected", was all she could say. She didn't want to ruin their good mood and especially Vanille's happy attitude but she was more than just a little concerned.

"Don't worry, Light! I haven't forgotten about what you told me. I'll be careful, promise", Vanille tried to assure Lightning whose frown disappeared and was replaced with a hint of a soft smile.

She nodded in approval before she got up from her couch. "Okay, Vanille. I'll have to accept that", Lightning said, seeming a little more at ease now, even though everyone in the room knew that she would keep her concerns probably for as long as Fang hadn't convinced her herself that she wasn't only playing some game with Vanille.

"So, you said your date is tonight?", Light asked from the kitchen where she had gone to get herself another cup of tea.

"Yep", Vanille answered enthusiastically and fidgeted in her seat as if it would shrug off her nervousness about the date.

"Okay. I'll be at home tonight, so once you need to be picked up, give me a call, okay?", Lightning asked in a caring tone before sitting down again with her cup in her hands.

Vanille nodded. "Hey, won't you tell Snow about this, by the way?", Serah suddenly asked Vanille with a light poke to her shoulder.

Lightning arched an eyebrow at this but kept quiet to let Vanille answer the question herself. "Ehm yeah, I think I could tell him, he'll most likely learn it from Lebreau anyway", Vanille shrugged her shoulders.

"And once Snow and his NORA guys know it, all of Bodhum will learn about it", Lightning piped up. And she had a point, Snow and his friends weren't really known for their ability to keep secrets.

"Mhh... You're right about that. And I have a feeling Fang wouldn't appreciate this...", Vanille said, thoughtful. "What do you say, Serah?"

Serah leaned back in the couch. "I guess Lightning is right. I had totally forgotten how ... talkative Snow can be. But what about Lebreau? You won't be able to hide it from her when you guys meet at her bar", Serah said, frowning in an attempt to find a solution to their problem.

"Anybody got an idea?", she asked.

There was a short silence as everyone seemed to be in thought. Suddenly, Lightning's face lightened up a bit as she came up with the perfect idea to shut Lebreau up. "I think I've got a solution for you", she finally said.

Both Vanille and Serah looked up at Lightning with hopeful gazes as the policewoman briefly explained what she had in mind.

"Well, it's simple. I'll just go and 'remind' Lebreau about something I've deliberately ignored some months ago because your boyfriend-", she gave Serah a quick glare before continuing, "-practically begged me to do his friend this favour. It was nothing major, just something that would've cost her some money she didn't have at the time.", Lightning explained before taking a short sip from her cup.

"So if I go and remind her that she owes me one for that and that I've kept enough evidence to still be able to prove this little ... _offence_ in case she should fail to keep her mouth shut...", Lightning said with a sly smirk.

"-Then I guess she will comply without any resistance.", she concluded and clasped her hands in content before another thing came to her mind and her facial expression changed to dead serious within barely a moment.

"And if that isn't enough, I'll make Snow pay in case someone can't keep their mouth shut", Lightning said with such a calmness it was frightening.

"Oookay!", Serah said with a mix of self-consciousness and confusion evident on her face.

Vanille, however, seemed oblivious to Serah's distress as she happily thanked Light for her help and soon, the impending death sentence for Snow if anyone at Lebreau's dared talking about Fang and Vanille was forgotten and they spent a relaxed afternoon together before Vanille and Serah went upstairs to get Vanille all dressed up for her date with Fang.

She chose the orange skirt and the white shirt she had bought this afternoon and even put on a little amount of make-up - something she did only on special occasions - and finally decided to wear her favourite sandals. It was warm enough that she could go without a coat so her outfit for the evening was complete.

Serah wished her the best of luck and reassured her again how stunning she looked and how she was sure Vanille would totally have a great date before the redhead left the house together with Lightning who had agreed to drive her to the bar.

They drove in a comfortable silence and when they reached the bar, Lightning urged her to be careful once more before wishing her a great evening and reminding her to call her once she wanted to be picked up again. Vanille thanked her before leaving the car and walking towards the entrance of the bar with a chaotic mix of nervousness and excitement in her fast-beating heart.

* * *

"So, where are you meeting her tonight?", Sazh asked Fang as she sat down on her bed again beside him.

She had just told him all about her day and how she had found Vanille and asked her out, and even though she had tried to appear calm and relaxed about the whole thing, she had found herself hectically moving around the entire hotel room while wildly gesturing with her hands as she told Sazh everything.

Of course, this had made it quite easy for the forty year old man to discover how excited she really felt about the whole thing.

"I suggested Lebreau's. It looked nice when we walked by the other day", Fang answered while tipping her foot on the ground erratically.

"Oh yeah, I remember", Sazh nodded. "So, you've told me everything that happened today, but you've not with one word mentioned how you _feel_ about all of this", he started with a calm voice and a smile on his lips.

Sure, he had found that out already - even a blind person would've seen Fang's nervousness - but indeed the brunette had avoided verbalising her feelings, and he had a hunch that this was because she had trouble coping with them.

Fang stared at the ground for a brief moment. _How I feel about it? As if he doesn't know already_, she thought while raising her head again to look in Sazh's brown eyes.

She sighed loudly. This was something she had avoided mentioning to him for a reason. It wasn't easy to talk about her feelings, it had never been. Especially not feelings that she was afraid of, feelings that seemed to turn her entire world upside down.

"Well...", she started and folded her hands in her lap. "I guess I don't really know, it's all so confusing and frightening, and I-"

"Fang, what does your heart say?", Sazh interrupted his band colleague. He smiled understandingly and put his hand on her shoulder.

"What?" Yes, she had told herself she wanted to see her again to find out if it was what her heart wanted, and she had felt great about it right after her encounter with Vanille but that was before she had reached the hotel and the doubts and fears had made her question the whole thing once again.

Now, there was only confusion and uncertainty left, it seemed. And she just didn't know anymore what her heart wanted.

"I ... don't really know, Sazh", she started and looked over to him with the same confusion in her eyes that she currently felt.

"From what you've told me, I got the impression it all felt quite good after you met her in the city, ain't that right?", he asked and received a short nod from Fang as response.

"So where's the problem? What changed ya mind?", he continued.

Fang shook her head, "Just because it felt nice it doesn't mean that it's right, that it's what my heart wants", she said, frowning and her hands balled into fists for a split second before she relaxed again.

Sazh chuckled a bit. "I think I get what ya mean"

There was a short silence of a few seconds as Sazh thought about how he could phrase what he wanted to say and Fang was once again deep into her thoughts about right and wrong.

"But ya know, we all have doubts about the things we do every once in a while, it's normal", he finally spoke up again.

"Especially when we are about to experience somethin' that's new to us", he said calmly and patted her on the back before getting up from the bed.

"You know, it's perfectly okay to have some worries and fears about it, this doesn't automatically make it wrong", he said, now standing before Fang who was still sitting on the bed and staring up at him.

"So why don't ya just go there tonight and see what happens?", he said and offered her a hand to get up which she took and pulled herself up from the bed.

"Just remember to do whatever feels good and right for you, these things that make you feel all warm and cosy in your chest area, ya know?", he said with a hearty smile and a wink.

"Okay, I'll try that, thanks Sazh", Fang answered with a smile of her own and accompanied him to the door.

"Sazh?", she asked him as he stood in the doorframe. There was something else on her mind that she needed to address. "Yeah?"

"Don't tell the others about this just yet, yeah? I don't want anyone to know about this as long as I'm not sure where this'll end up myself"

"You got my word", he only said with a nod before leaving for his hotel room. He would just have to lie a bit should the others want to know where Fang had gone for the evening. But that he would do for the young woman that he liked to look upon as some kind of daughter.

* * *

Hours later, Fang had dressed up and made her way to the bar which was, luckily, not so far from the hotel so that she had decided to walk the way there.

She had taken longer than usual to pick her clothes for this evening.

Normally, she often wore her favourite black leather pants and a matching leather jacket with a shirt under it plus some boots. Alternatively, she went for a similar outfit with jeans instead of leather.

She also owned a few more 'girly' things like skirts but she only rarely wore them in private but never on stage or whenever she was in public. So people in general only knew her with her typical leather or jeans outfits.

She had briefly toyed with the idea to wear her girly clothes for the date with Vanille but had cast away the idea eventually. She wanted to go there just the way Vanille knew her, and so she picked her jeans jacket, jeans pants and a black top to wear under the jacket and combined these with a pair of sneakers.

After some minutes of walking through the city of Bodhum, Fang finally neared the bar. She cast a quick glance at her phone to see that she was ten minutes early before she put it in her pocket again and walked around the corner so that she could see the bar a few metres down the street.

And she noticed only now that with every step she got closer to the building her nervousness increased. Sure, she had already been nervous to some degree all afternoon before but it had been bearable. Right now, however, she felt like she could explode from all the pressure inside her that made her chest feel so tight and yet so strangely good.

She had reached the entrance now and there seemed to be a lot going on in the small bar that had "Lebreau's" written in bold pink glowing letters above the door. She dismissed the two bodyguards that had accompanied her to the bar for her safety and opened the heavy wooden door with shaky hands to go inside.

It was quite crowded inside and her nose immediately picked up the smoky air as she made her way through the crowd to find a free place somewhere to sit down.

Lady Luck once again today seemed to be on her side as she spotted a free corner booth not far from her. She sat down and ordered a gin tonic when a waiter came to her table and then waited for Vanille to arrive.

It didn't take the girl long to find Fang and when she got to the table she greeted the brunette with a shy "Hey" before she sat down across from her.

"Hey", Fang smiled and took a quick glance at the girl's clothes as she sat down.

"You're really wearin' the skirt, huh", she remarked as she saw the familiar orange garment on the girl.

Vanille blushed a little. "Yeah, you said you liked it, so ...", she said while nervously tipping on the table with her fingers.

Fang smiled when she noticed Vanille's obvious embarrassment. "I do like it, you look great", she finally said charmingly, hoping to make the girl feel more comfortable.

And she hadn't lied, either. Vanille did look great. Not only her skirt, she also wore a white shirt with quite a low neckline that drew Fang's attention immediately to her pretty breasts.

"Thank you. You look great too", Vanille replied still awfully nervously and Fang forced her gaze up to her face again. _No starin' now, you're dating Vanille and not her breasts_, Fang reprimanded herself inwardly when a young woman with short dark hair and quite a tantalising dress approached their table.

"Hey Vanille, how you doin'?", the woman exclaimed happily.

Vanille smiled. "Hey Lebreau, nice to see you!", the redhead said with a bubbly voice. _Ah, the bar owner_, Fang realised as the woman turned to her suddenly.

"And you must be Fang, yeah? Of course you are, I know you!", Lebreau exclaimed in pure excitement before Vanille poked her in the side so hard Fang was sure it must've hurt.

"Ouch!", it escaped the brunette and her face contorted in both confusion about the action and pain before it suddenly lightened up in understanding as she seemed to remember why Vanille had poked her.

"Yeah I know, I know, Lightning talked to me. I will shut up, promise", she said apologetically to both Fang and Vanille before resuming her happy attitude once again. "So, what can I get you, Vanille?", she asked.

"I'll take a Sex on the Beach please", the redhead said without thinking twice, it was her favourite drink after all. Lebreau left the table with a short nod to get her the drink.

Fang, apparently having recovered from a good part of her nervousness, found herself smiling devilishly as an impish thought crossed her mind. "Well, if you want sex on the beach, you could've just asked me, sweetheart", she said with a wink.

She got exactly the reaction she had aimed for as Vanille blushed furiously before her. "I- ehm...", she started nervously while rubbing her hands in a desperate attempt to regain her composure.

Fang couldn't help but laugh heartily at this cute reaction. "Sorry, sometimes I just can't keep my cheeky mouth shut", she apologised.

After a few moments, Vanille seemed to relax slowly which gave Fang the opportunity to start a conversation.

"So, what was that with Lebreau about?", she asked curiously and leaned forward a bit with her hands firmly planted on the table.

Vanille found herself smiling again, the embarrassment forgotten.

"Ah well, Lebreau isn't exactly a reliable person when it comes to keeping secrets and I figured you didn't want all of Bodhum knowing tomorrow about you meeting here with me tonight, so I made a few ... arrangements that ensure her silence", Vanille explained with a hint of a devious smile on her face for merely a second before resuming her normal cute smile again.

"Ah, I see", Fang nodded. "Yeah I actually hoped not to read about this in the papers tomorrow, so yeah ... great idea you got there", she added approvingly. Vanille's smile immediately widened a good bit at Fang's thankful reaction.

Meanwhile Lebreau returned with Vanille's drink and wished them a good evening before quickly disappearing again.

"So you and your friend are fans of my band, yeah?", Fang asked after a short silence.

Vanille nodded her head quickly and you could feel the excitement glowing in her eyes as she started talking enthusiastically. "Yep! Serah and I've discovered your band only a few months ago and we became huge fans of you guys and your music!", she exclaimed.

Fang felt flattered, hearing the pretty girl in front of her talk about her band like that. She was used to having really huge fans so actually that was nothing new but it was something different with someone you had a crush on, even if you still had trouble fully admitting the crush to yourself.

And Fang found herself opening up more to the girl, just like some sort of barrier was slowly and piece by piece crumbling inside her as Vanille went on telling her about what she liked about the band, what her favourite songs were and many more things.

Vanille also noticed herself becoming increasingly relaxed in Fang's presence, or maybe it was just the alcohol? Anyway, she used her newfound boldness to change the topic to get to know more about Fang.

"So what about you, Fang? Tell me something about you!", the little girl asked with a happy tone in her voice.

Fang made a thinking face for a brief second before she was interrupted by a waiter coming by asking if they wanted another drink at which both ordered something.

When the waiter disappeared, Fang focused her attention on Vanille again. "About me, yeah? Well in short, I am an orphan from Oerba where I grew up. I left the city after high school and travelled a lot before I ended up in the band eventually.", she told Vanille.

"But you've probably read all this in some interview already, haven't ya?", Fang asked with a lazy smirk and Vanille nodded grinningly.

"Yeah, but I have to admit there isn't really much more about my life I could tell you that you don't already know.", Fang said, shrugging her shoulders.

"I guess most things about me you have to discover yourself by gettin' to know me better", she added with a smirk.

"So why don't ya tell me some things about you?", the guitarist suggested before taking a sip from her drink.

Again, Vanille nodded before a smile crept upon her features. She found her life quite boring actually but Fang, obviously, didn't know that so she would tell her about it.

"Mh...", she started, unsure how to begin. "First of all, I think there are some things we have in common, actually.", she smiled as she received a confused look from Fang at the implication.

"Well, I'm an orphan as well and I was born in Oerba, too. But my parents and I moved to Bodhum when I was just a small child ... and shortly after, they died", Vanille explained with a bit of a sad tone to her voice at the end.

She could barely remember her parents as she had been only four years old when they had died in an accident but that didn't mean that she didn't still miss them sometimes, even though she had found a new family in Serah and Lightning and maybe also Snow in the future.

Fang saw the sadness emerging in Vanille's eyes and she felt for her. Who could better understand the feelings of an orphan than someone who had endured the same fate?

Fang smiled thoughtfully at her and it seemed like her hand moved out of its own accord as she placed it on Vanille's to comfort the girl.

She immediately felt like she'd done something terribly wrong, though, as she saw how Vanille's eyes shot to their hands in an instant, surprise evident on her face.

"I- sorry", Fang said apologetically and withdrew her hand quickly. "I just wanted to comfort you, I'm quite familiar with these feelings and know how much it can hurt you", she explained herself, hoping that the girl would accept this.

"Actually, I didn't mind ... I was just surprised, that's all", Vanille shyly said with a soft smile on her lips. Honestly, if she were more forward about this, she would directly ask Fang to put her hand back on hers. But being the person she was, she felt like she was too shy for that.

"Okay, then I'm relieved I didn't screw anything up with that", Fang said, smirking. She wasn't sure if it was okay to put her hand back again just like that, though, so she kept it firmly placed beside her glass for now.

"You know... I- ... I mean ...", Vanille stammered, trying to get out her wish now as she saw that Fang didn't make a move.

Fang arched her eyebrows. "Yes?", she asked the girl before her.

_Just ask, she won't kill you._, Vanille spurred herself on. "I wanted to say that I also wouldn't mind if you put your hand back on mine again", she forced out of herself.

Fang didn't hesitate one second and did as she was told, smiling.

"So, now that that's settled ... where were we?", she said nonchalantly and gave a soft squeeze to the smaller hand underneath hers.

Vanille blushed a little at the gesture but then quickly went on telling Fang about herself.

"You know, there actually isn't much more to tell. I grew up in an orphanage here in Bodhum and went to high school where I met Serah who is now my best friend. I've been living with her and her sister Lightning for some years now, too, and they've become a new family for me over the years, you know", she explained happily, remembering all those years and all the situations when Serah had been there to comfort her.

"I see", Fang nodded in understanding. "I guess it's a good thing that ya found a new family for yourself", she started before averting her gaze from the girl's shortly as she continued.

"I have always felt quite homeless over the years, and I somewhat still do, even though I know that the band tries to be some sort of family for me but part of me doesn't quite fully let them, you see", she tried to explain her situation, her eyes now searching for Vanille's again who watched her intently.

"Oh, why's that?", the redhead wanted to know.

"I don't quite know", Fang shrugged her shoulders. "But I guess I've always had a habit of keeping people at a distance, there's always been some sort of barrier that kept everyone away from my innermost parts", she told the girl, wondering how she barely knew her and yet felt comfortable with telling her about all of this. It just felt right.

"I think I understand what you mean, I've often felt the same when I was younger but I feel that it has improved a lot over the years thanks to Serah who has been there for me a lot", Vanille smiled.

"Why don't ya tell me a bit about your friend and her sister and everything?", Fang suggested interestedly and leaned forward a bit in her seat.

Vanille nodded and began telling Fang about her friendship with Serah, how they had met at high school and became close and how she'd eventually ended up in the Farron household.

Of course, Vanille didn't forget to mention Lightning and how it was definitely not always so easy living with the woman. Both laughed heartily when Vanille described in great detail the situations when they had almost driven Lightning insane with their love for Fighting Fate.

It got even a bit funnier when she went on about the 'difficult' relationship between Lightning and Snow because the man happened to be on the endless list of Serah's boyfriends that Lightning did not approve of.

Though she was sure, Vanille added with an evil grin, that the boyfriend Lightning would approve of did not even exist - at least not in this world.

Finally, the girl talked about her literature studies which she worked on with great enthusiasm together with Serah who studied the same.

When she had told the guitarist everything important and interesting she could think of, she took a sip from her third drink this evening and smiled. "Yeah, this is my life, basically. Not the most exciting thing in the world, I know", she said with a shrug.

Fang shook her head. "No, no, I actually think it's pretty exciting, if ya ask me. It was at least an interesting thing to listen to", she said with a soft smile.

Wondering how much time had passed she took a quick glance on her phone to see that it was already past midnight. "Mh, it's already quite late, I assume Lightning's waiting for ya at home, correct?", she smirked knowingly.

Vanille giggled. "Yep, she is. Actually, she wanted to pick me up again once I call her"

Fang chuckled. "Okay, doesn't surprise me. She seems quite the caring personality"

The brunette quickly asked for the bill and paid for them both while Vanille called Lightning before they went out into the still pleasantly warm night together.

Fang scratched her head as she noticed the nervousness she had managed to keep limited to a tolerable degree for most of the evening overwhelming her suddenly and she knew why. She had loved the time she had spent with Vanille but now, as the evening came to an end, she had to let her know just that and it felt like an incredibly difficult task right now.

Vanille seemed to feel the same as she stared at Fang uneasily. "I- ehm", the girl started, fidgeting with her purse.

Fang shook her head in an attempt to rid herself of the paralysing feeling and forced herself to make the first step and say something.

"I ... I really liked the evening with you, Vanille", she smiled to underline her statement.

Vanille nodded happily "Me too, really, and-", she was interrupted, however, by the loud sound of a car horn coming from the parking area beside them. They turned around only to see Lightning's car parking some metres away from them.

Fang smirked. "She's been fast", she remarked with a short glance to Lightning who was watching them intently. "Anyway, we better make it quick I guess", she suggested almost nonchalantly.

"I'd like to see you again, so would you give me your number?", the brunette then asked while fidgeting with the zipper of her opened jeans jacket. She relaxed more when she received the answer she had hoped for from Vanille who only nodded before giving her her number.

"You know, as I'm famous you'll surely understand that I can't give you my private number, at least not yet, okay?", Fang explained uneasily. Though she had a feeling that the girl wouldn't give her number away to others she had also learnt to be cautious and trust no one too easily, so she had to take that step. She hoped Vanille would understand.

"Okay, I understand", Vanille nodded.

Fang smiled. "Then I'll be in touch with ya, sweetie", she said, her smile still on her lips as her jade eyes glowed into the night.

They were once again disturbed, however, by the car horn. Fang chuckled. "Guess you shouldn't keep her waiting any longer"

"I guess so", Vanille replied with a giggle before waving her hand towards Lightning to let her know she'd only need another second.

It seemed like her body was acting out of its own accord as Fang almost suddenly leaned forward a bit and placed a soft kiss on Vanille's left cheek. "I'll be in touch", she repeated her earlier promise once more, her voice barely above a whisper.

Vanille blushed. She hadn't seen the kiss coming, and even though it was only a chaste one on her cheek, she felt electrified by it.

"G-good night, Fang and thanks for the evening", she stammered a bit.

"Good night, Vanille", Fang replied with a soft smile on her lips that was barely even there and a calmness to her voice that she was so unused to that it sounded almost foreign to herself.

Vanille shot her another warm smile before walking away towards Lightning's car. She waved again once she was inside before the older Farron drove off with her and Fang decided to call her chauffeur to be picked up.

Needless to say, Lightning was eager to know about Vanille's evening with Fang and so the girl spent the drive home telling her about it. She was well aware of the fact that Lightning did not only ask out of curiosity but also to find out if Fang had treated her well. After all, she had voiced her concerns about Vanille dating the rockstar on more than one occasion before.

But it seemed Vanille was successful in convincing Lightning that she'd had a great time and that Fang had been really charming and good to her. And so Lightning, seeming considerably more relaxed regarding Fang - at least for now - congratulated Vanille on her first date before they finally reached home and went to bed for a peaceful night's sleep.

* * *

**AN: **Please let me know how you liked the chapter :) Suggestions and criticism are welcome, as always!


	5. Chapter 5

_Chapter Five_

The next day, a warm but rainy Sunday, started well for Vanille. She got up, took a long hot shower and went downstairs to find Lightning already up, just as usual.

They talked a little about this and that while the policewoman made them a nice breakfast with scrambled eggs and bacon while Vanille took care of the black tea they often used to drink in the morning.

Just as Lightning had finished preparing the meal, Serah sleepily entered the kitchen, but her sleepiness suddenly seemed completely forgotten when she saw Vanille.

"Vaniiiille", she almost screamed which earned her a slightly angered glare from Lightning. "You _have to_ tell me everything about your date!", she demanded whilst sitting down beside the redhead, who giggled.

"First we have breakfast", Lightning ordered and that was what they did, though Serah had a hard time containing herself.

But eventually, she was released from the agonising waiting time when they finished eating and she immediately dragged Vanille upstairs to her room. She slammed the door shut and sat down on her bed beside her best friend.

"So tell me! How did it go for you?", she asked with eyes so big from excitement you could worry they might fall out.

Vanille giggled. She loved how Serah was always so curious to know about everything, it was just too cute. And even more so she loved exploiting this to drive her nuts by just not telling her what she so desperately wanted to know. But not today, today she would tell her right away.

"Well, I'd say it was a quite nice evening, you know", she started slowly, not sure herself how good the evening actually had been, objectively spoken. It had been her first date, after all, she just didn't know how far you have to come in a first date to call it a 'good', or better, a 'successful' date.

"What do you mean by that?", Serah asked, obviously confused by the statement.

"That I've got no idea how far you have to come in a first date to consider it a success, Serah", Vanille almost desperately explained.

Serah grinned. "Ah, I see", she said understandingly and took Vanille's hand in her own.

"Why don't you tell me what happened and I help you evaluate the whole thing, huh?", she suggested with a firm, encouraging squeeze to the redhead's hand.

"Okay", Vanille agreed and started telling her friend about how they had been talking about their lives for the entire evening.

Of course she didn't forget to mention that she'd seen Fang almost staring holes into her breasts as well as the brunette's suggestive comment on her choice of drink and how she had put her hand on Vanille's and had given her a kiss on the cheek after she'd asked for her number.

Serah shook her head in disbelief. How could Vanille even slightly doubt that this had been a successful date? For her, it was clear as crystal: the evening had been fantastic and Vanille was absolutely on the right track.

"Seriously, Vanille, I don't see where your problem is! That all sounds great and damn cute! If you ask me, it was a total success", Serah put her thoughts into words. "I'm happy for you, really", she added with a big smile plastered on her face.

Vanille couldn't help but smile herself. Maybe Serah was right and she had been a bit pessimistic to doubt the success of the date.

But she would know more once Fang did or did not contact her. If she didn't, Vanille would know that it hadn't been as successful as she hoped right now. If she did, however, Vanille could be certain that Fang had liked it at least enough to want to see her again.

Serah, having apparently read her mind, lay her free hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure she'll be in touch", she reassured the redhead.

And she really hoped that she was right with this statement. After all, Vanille was eighteen and had only yesterday had her first date. It was about time for her to finally find a first girlfriend, too, and she had certainly upped her chances with Fang last evening.

"I hope so", Vanille replied smilingly. They then spent another few minutes in her room before they decided to watch a DVD and learned for their studies afterwards. Later that day, Snow came by and they played cards together and enjoyed the afternoon.

Vanille had no idea when Fang would call, if she would at all, but the redhead more than hoped it would be soon. She was so nervous about the whole thing, but a call from Fang would blow all her doubts away again and totally make her day.

* * *

"So where've you been all night yesterday, Fang?", Cid asked before biting into his bread. The band sat together for breakfast, just like every morning, and Fang hadn't yet told anyone besides Sazh about her crush on a certain redhead.

"Just here and there, ya know. I've been roaming a few bars, enjoying the nightlife of Bodhum", she lied to talk her way out of this.

She didn't want them to know about this, not yet. The date had been great, sure, but she still had her doubts whether this all was right. Was it what her heart wanted? She wondered.

Cid nodded. "I see. You could've asked us as well, though. Don't know about the others but I would've absolutely joined you", he said with a small but friendly smile on his lips.

"Yeah it was all a bit spontaneous, but I'll remember next time", Fang said with a smile of her own and quickly glanced over to Sazh who only smiled knowingly but stayed silent. She knew she could trust him on this, he wouldn't betray her and tell them. And she was glad.

"So, how's the plan for today?", she asked to change the subject. "And how long will we be staying here in Bodhum, anyway?", she quickly added. As usual, she had totally forgotten their schedule. This happened on a regular basis so no one really complained. Not anymore, anyway.

Sazh was the first to speak up. "Nothing major today, we'll practise after breakfast but in the evening we can do whatever we feel like.", he explained before making a thinking face for a brief moment.

"And Bodhum ... well, our tour is over now, and I actually wanted to sit down together with you guys tomorrow to make plans on how we go on now.", he explained matter-of-factly.

"You know, we could take some time off now and relax, that would be absolutely fine, but we could also directly go back to Eden to start workin' on our new album.", he further explained what he had in mind.

"But that's completely up to us - the record company, luckily, isn't pushin' us. Therefore we need to make a decision tomorrow"

Everyone at the table nodded in agreement as Sazh finished. Ever since he had founded the band, he had taken care of the scheduling and management and he did a great job in this position.

They had quickly begun appreciating his organising talents and now completely relied on him when it came to all kinds of organisation and schedules for the band.

He was kind of their leader - he had founded the band, after all - and therefore, it was perfectly normal for everyone as he told them what would be awaiting them in the upcoming days.

The rest of their Sunday went on as Sazh had told them. Fang normally loved practising with the guys but today she couldn't quite focus on it and give one-hundred percent as usual.

Her thoughts just kept bouncing back to Vanille and even more so to the problematic situation Sazh had spoken about during breakfast.

No matter what they would decide tomorrow, she knew sooner or later they had to go back to Eden to work on their album and in case she developed some sort of relationship with Vanille that would most likely sentence it to death anyway as the distance was just too big.

She was sure the others noticed her slightly different behaviour today but nobody said anything.

And for the first time since she'd joined the band, she was happy when the practising was over and she could return to her hotel room and be alone. She needed some time to think, to figure this out, to figure out what to do.

Hell, why had the obvious problem her return to Eden would cause not come to her mind earlier? If it had, maybe she wouldn't even have pursued the whole thing with Vanille in the first place, as there didn't really seem to be a solution to this. But apparently, she'd totally been oblivious to this because of this damn crush flooding both her heart and mind alike.

She couldn't say she was surprised when she heard a familiar knock on her door a few minutes of murderous thinking later. She knew who this was. "Come in", she called and got up from her bed to see Sazh entering her room with a knowing smile.

"Wanna talk about it?", he offered her, coming directly to the point.

She couldn't help but smile at his bluntness. "It might help, yeah", she answered nonchalantly as if she hadn't just spent the last minutes desperately trying to get some sort of order into the chaos that was her emotions and find a solution to the problem their return to Eden would cause.

"So what's the matter? Had a bad date yesterday? Or was it good and now you're concerned about the day we will have to go back to Eden?", he asked while sitting down on the white couch that stood in the room. Fang opened the minibar and took out a bottle of water before joining him.

"The latter, actually. The date was great, well that's what _I_ think at least.", she shrugged. "But I have a feelin' she liked it as well", she added before taking a sip from the bottle.

Sazh only nodded to show he'd understood everything, not wanting to interrupt the woman.

"And I don't know if you're readin' minds or somethin' but yes, I _have_ been thinking about the problems our return to Eden will cause if I go on seeing her and everything, ya know", she explained while making herself comfortable on the couch beside Sazh.

The man smiled heartily. "So I presume you're takin' the whole thing with this girl more seriously now? I mean, if you're worrying about the future this has so much already..", he wanted to know.

Fang nodded. "I've been thinkin' about this a lot and I'm sure I want to go on meeting her and see where this leads us. I got no idea at all if we'll end up together or somethin' but I'm willin' to give this a shot. Maybe somethin' will develop", she shrugged nonchalantly but it belied her true feelings about all of this.

She still had trouble fully admitting it to herself but in her heart, she wanted nothing more than seeing Vanille more often and taking the next step to create a relationship with the girl.

It seemed weird and early after only one date, but that was how she felt deep inside.

Sazh smiled. He was happy for Fang, he truly was. After all the time he had known her, it seemed she finally started listening to her heart and opened up to others more step by step.

Sure, she was still blocking her emotions to some degree, he saw that right now as she sat before him with this strange mix of chaotic emotions and the cool, relaxed attitude she often used as a barrier to protect herself evident in her eyes.

"I see, I see...", he said while stroking his chin and leaning back in the couch.

"Well, ya know I'm sure we can convince the others tomorrow to take some holiday and stay here in Bodhum for some time so that you can find out if the two of you can make it work", he spoke up calmly.

Fang smiled but immediately after frowned a little and went to say something but Sazh beat her to it as he continued. "I know, I know, this doesn't solve the problem that sooner or later you'll have to leave her here and go back to Eden", he said.

"But...", he paused, scratching his chin.

"I think I could try somethin' that would help ya". He made a concentrated thinking face but a smile quickly appeared on his face the moment he saw hope glimmering in Fang's jade eyes.

"Ya see, I got no idea if this'll work and it might be absolutely stupid but I could just try and ask the record label if they have facilities here in Bodhum where we could record our album and everything"

"Ya mean that we would move here and do all of our work _here_, just like we do now in Eden?", Fang asked to gain more clarity about Sazh's plan.

"Yeah. I know, it's a big step and we would of course have to ask Cid and Hope if they're ok with this as well but as far as I know, they both haven't much that binds them to Eden so I see no problem there. It's just about the record label", he went on while getting up to fetch himself a water bottle from Fang's minibar as well.

When he returned to the couch, he saw a happy smile adorning her face. "That would be so damn great if that works", she said with that glimmer of hope not only in her eyes but on her entire face.

Sazh couldn't help but chuckle. "But first we'll arrange for our holiday here in Bodhum and you go and find out if you even really want her, yes? You gotta _really _ be sure about this before moving to another city for a person. This is a big step, girl, and in this case not only for you but for the entire band", he reminded her in a friendly, a bit parental tone.

"Of course, you're absolutely right. I'll find out if this is right for me first", Fang agreed, nodding.

"But enough with all the serious and all emotional talk for now. How 'bout we invite the others over and watch some movies?", Sazh suggested and he got a reaction typical for Fang as her signature smirk found its way on her face.

"I'm game", she approved. "You ask the others and I let the guys in the hotel bar downstairs know that they can prepare for a busy evening", she winked at her statement and Sazh laughed before getting up to find Cid and Hope.

* * *

Vanille sighed while leaning forward in the chair and supporting her head with her hand.

She currently sat in an agonisingly boring lecture beside Serah who looked as if she was just about to fall asleep.

"Man, this lecture is such a pain in the ass", Serah suddenly whispered to her friend.

"Tell me about it", Vanille whispered back while at least trying to listen to what the professor was talking about.

"But we're lucky, clock says it'll be over in three minutes", Serah informed her friend with relief written all over her face.

"Thank Etro, I think a few minutes more and I would've died of boredom", Vanille joked.

These last three minutes, however, again felt like an eternity. Having nothing to do, Vanille's thoughts quickly drifted to Fang, a sensitive topic she had tried to avoid thinking about too much since their date.

It was Monday today and she hadn't called her yet, and even though the date had only been on Saturday, the redhead felt as if her doubts kept growing with every second that passed without a call from the woman.

Curiosity got the better of her as she took out her phone from her bag to check for missed calls. Maybe Fang had tried to reach her during the lecture? Who knew.

But she sighed and disappointment came over her as she saw that she had no missed calls.

Serah noticed and put her hand on Vanille's. "Hey, don't worry. She'll call you soon, you'll see!", she whispered, her voice full of her usual optimism.

"Yeah, I hope you're right..", Vanille self-consciously said. Serah nodded encouragingly and they sat out the last moments of the lecture in silence before it was finally over and they could return home.

For the rest of the day, Vanille tried her best to distract herself from the woman her heart craved but it was a hard task and so every now and then, her thoughts were drawn back to the guitarist and the growing doubts she felt.

When Serah suggested watching a movie and Vanille agreed, welcoming each and every opportunity to distract herself, she had no idea, however, that she would get her call right this evening.

* * *

**AN: **So I tried to use this chapter to explain Fang and Vanille's emotions and thoughts on the date and about each other a bit, as you can see. I know it might be seen as a bit of a filler chapter, but I think it was good and necessary to explain more how they feel about each other now. Hope you enjoyed it :)

Also, I have to admit much to my shame that I only really while writing this chapter stumbled upon the problem for the two that Fang will have to go back to Eden sooner or later. I came up with a solution to this which Sazh suggests in his talk with Fang. However, I'm not too sure about this. The thing is: I'm not certain whether it's not a bit unrealistic and/or a bit ... much if, as a result of going through with the plan, the whole band would move to another city because Fang nicely asks them for it to be able to continue seeing a girl.

So it would be really, really helpful if you let me know in the reviews what you think about this plan to fix the distance problem for the two. Do you like the idea or not? I tend to be very sceptical about my own ideas, so if you guys like it, I will continue working with this idea. But if you don't, well, then I'll try to change it!


	6. Chapter 6

**AN:** First of all, thanks again for your reviews and continued support, guys!

Regarding the idea I've mentioned before, I've read your positive feedback to it, but still, I've thought this through again and came to the conclusion that it'll be best to change it. I just wasn't satisfied with it anymore at all, partly because of the points Benevolent Contradiction mentioned in the reviews but also for other reasons. Anyway, the topic of how Fang will move to Bodhum will only really become important again in the next chapter or the chapter after.

And now I don't want to keep you from reading any longer. Enjoy!

* * *

_Chapter Six_

Fang was happy. The band had just finished discussing the matter about whether or not to take some time off and stay in Bodhum a little while longer and much to her delight, everyone had agreed to stay and take two or three weeks of vacation.

Now that was settled and she had extended her time to reach clarification about if Vanille really was what her heart truly wanted or not. Knowing that she had at least another two weeks to find this out, she felt considerably more at ease.

She sat down on her couch in the hotel room before her glance fell on the phone that stood on the desk to her right. _Maybe I should call her right away and ask her out again_, she thought and for a moment that seemed like a good idea before her doubts kicked in.

_But maybe it's a bit early, I mean the date was Saturday, that's only two days ago!_, Fang inwardly reprimanded herself. But then again she didn't know, it could also be that Vanille already eagerly awaited her call.

She really didn't know. But one thing, on the other hand, she _did_ know very well: Fang Yun wasn't one to back down from something, and most certainly not a stupid phone call. Yes, it was just a call. She wasn't afraid of that now, was she?

Fang shook her head before getting up and going to get the phone. No, she wasn't afraid of calling her, of course not! She really tried to convince herself of that and it even worked somehow until she held the phone in her right hand and the small piece of paper with Vanille's number in her other.

She looked down and saw that her hands trembled. The brunette bit her lower lip. _Okay okay, maybe I am afraid_, she admitted, walking back to the sofa with the phone to sit down. But why, actually? What could possibly go wrong? Vanille wouldn't turn her down should she ask for another date, would she?

Honestly, Fang didn't know. She had the feeling Vanille had enjoyed the date just as much as she had but her perception could be wrong.

Fang leaned back in the sofa, trying to calm her excited breathing. _Guess there's only one way to find out_. And with that, she pulled herself together and dialled Vanille's number.

After only a few seconds, she answered the phone. "Hello, Vanille Dia speaking, who's there?", Fang heard her cute voice asking politely. But she also noticed the slight nervousness in her voice, so the girl probably had an idea who she was talking to.

"Hey Vanille, it's Fang", the brunette started a bit uneasily, feeling her own nervousness getting to her. "I- ... I'm calling because I wanted to ask you out, ya know. I mean, if ya like", Fang explained while nervously fidgeting with the paper still in her hand.

But she immediately felt much better as she heard something that sounded like an excited squeal in Vanille's background. Fang grinned slightly.

"What was that?", she wanted to know and there was a short silence, as if Vanille couldn't find an appropriate answer.

"Ehm ... that was Serah, actually. I've put you on speakerphone and she obviously got all excited as she heard you asking me out again.", Vanille finally explained.

"Alright, I see", Fang chuckled a bit. That was really cute, and it warmed her heart to know that apparently Serah really supported the whole thing.

"So, what's your answer, then? Are ya in?", she asked the redhead while stretching on the sofa.

"I'd love to", Vanille answered a bit shyly and it made Fang smile broadly as she lay down on the sofa and stared at the white ceiling.

"How about tomorrow at eight? I could come and pick ya up at home if ya like", Fang offered her.

There was a short pause again before the girl answered. "That would be great, yes. Where do you want to take me?", she asked curiously and Fang heard some background noises again but she paid them no heed.

"That will be a little surprise", the guitarist answered with a hint of a devilish smile on her face. If Vanille was anywhere near as curious as Fang thought then this answer would probably slowly but steadily drive her insane.

Vanille giggled quietly. "Alright! I'm already excited! And I live on 555 Dysley Avenue, by the way. Do you know where that is?"

"I'll find it, don't worry.", Fang reassured her. "So, then see ya tomorrow at your place, alright?", she asked the girl again for confirmation.

"Yep! I'm really looking forward to this, Fang", Vanille stated happily.

Fang found herself smiling fondly at this. "Me too, really. Have a good night and sweet dreams, Vanille"

"You too, good night!", Vanille answered before hanging up.

Fang's smile widened almost painfully as she put the phone on the coffee table and lay on the couch again, her gaze firmly focused on the ceiling. She felt great.

It seemed like just this short but undoubtedly sweet phone call with Vanille had made her entire day perfect.

The enormous effects the girl had on her emotions were definitely something she still had to get used to. And even more so she finally had to fully accept them into her life. She still noticed herself fighting these emotions a bit, not fully willing to give in to them yet.

Fang turned on the couch so she was now lying on her side, facing the big windows of her room. It started raining outside and she watched the raindrops fall against them. The rain's sounds had a calming effect on her as she just lay there for a little while longer, completely enjoying to just watch and listen to the rain.

Her thoughts, unsurprisingly, were completely with Vanille. She had really agreed to see her again and Fang found herself smirking when she remembered that she had not told her where she would bring her to surprise her.

At least that was what she had said to the girl. But it had actually been a shameless lie. In fact, she had no idea yet. But she would find something wonderful tomorrow, and with that thought she contentedly closed her eyes and fell asleep to the soothing sounds of the raindrops pattering against the windows.

* * *

What a sight. The warm midday sun shone down on the vast beach before Fang and made it all look even more beautiful. The sound of the ocean, or more specifically, the waves, reached her ear as she inhaled deeply, taking it all in.

"It's wonderful, Fang", she heard a familiar voice on her left comment on the scenery. She turned her head to see that it was Vanille, who had a dreamy smile on her face.

Fang couldn't help but smile herself as she took the girl's soft hand in hers. They continued walking down the empty beach, feeling the warm sand on their feet.

No words were said but none were needed. It would've just disturbed the wonderful silence that was only filled with the sounds of the sea anyway.

And slowly, Fang noticed herself losing contact with all of this, the images in front of her blurring piece by piece until she opened her eyes, finding herself back on the couch.

And she smiled to herself as she realised that it had all been a dream. Once again. But she wasn't sad, on the contrary. Her heart was still filled with the wonderful emotions she had felt in the dream and for a moment she just gave in and dwelled on it.

When she turned on her back, with the beautiful images from her dream still in her mind, an idea hit her.

Bodhum was a beach city! Why not go and see the beach with Vanille, then?

It seemed like a perfect idea, especially if it would turn out just as romantic as in her dream.

She stretched her arms and legs before getting up and glancing at the clock on the nightstand. She was surprised when she saw that it was only 7.13, but then again she had fallen asleep much earlier than usual.

She decided to start the morning with a hot shower before she quickly dried her hair, put on some clothes and took a cab to the beach. She had to know where she wanted to take Vanille, of course, and as she wasn't familiar with Bodhum, she scouted the area a bit before returning to the hotel for her much-deserved breakfast.

By that time, the others were already up and so they ate together, talking about this and that.

After breakfast, Fang and Hope spontaneously decided to go and play some games together on the console the young man always took with him wherever they toured. Cid and Sazh weren't in the mood to join so they went to the city centre instead.

"I win!", Hope exclaimed. They were currently playing a fighting game and the man had just won round one.

Fang chuckled. "That was only round one out of three, let's see how ya do next round, boy", she smirked confidently.

After some more minutes of playing which had been accompanied by numerous curses on both sides, it loudly sounded "Player One wins the match" from the TV.

Hope softly hit his thigh with a balled fist. "Damn, for once I thought I'd beat you in this and then you still manage to bash the shit out of me", he spoke in frustration.

"Aw come on, I think you were pretty good. Maybe next time you _do_ win", Fang smiled and patted him on his shoulder.

"By the way, let's not forget how criminally good you are at that racing game, you almost always win there", she reminded him which drew a small smile from the man.

"Yeah, you're right.", he nodded. "You wanna play a round?"

"Sure, why not.", Fang answered and leaned back in the couch while the man stood up to change the disc.

As he sat down again, something came to his mind. "Fang?"

"Yeah?", the guitarist turned her head to look at the man.

"You know, I haven't asked the others yet but I had the idea that we could maybe go out and enjoy the nightlife of Bodhum a bit tonight. What do you say? You're in, aren't you?"

Fang gulped. From the way Hope asked her she could see that he already assumed she would say yes. And he had all the right in the world to think so because normally, Fang _was_ always in for some fun.

And she would love to go, if she hadn't already asked Vanille out for the evening. But how should she tell Hope this? She didn't want to tell him and Cid she was seeing a girl just yet, but what was she supposed to tell him instead?

"I- uhm ... I'm afraid I'm already otherwise engaged, ya see..", she tried to buy herself some time to find a plausible excuse why she had no time.

Hope's eyebrows arched in surprise as he focused his gaze on Fang. That was unusual for her. What else could she be doing tonight? She hadn't mentioned anything as far as he could recall.

"Oh", he spoke, the confusion evident in his voice. "So what are you doing tonight, then?", he wanted to know.

Fang's throat became even drier than it had already been for the last moments. _Just tell him something, anything!_, she reprimanded herself harshly while desperately trying to find some good excuse.

"I'm goin' to the beach, ya see", she finally said. _Ha, and that's not even a lie!_, she revelled inwardly.

Hope's face lightened up. "Ah, the beach! Yeah, that's actually also a pretty good idea, we could go there as well!", he suggested, completely oblivious to Fang's facial expression which had changed to a mix of panic and horror the moment he had spoken out his suggestion.

_Not. Good. At. All. Do something, and now!_, it screamed in Fang's head. But what? There was no way she would get out of this now without telling the young man the truth about why she wouldn't quite be able to take the band with her.

Fang sighed. _Seems like I'll have to put my cards on the table now_, she inwardly conceded.

"Hope, I think I have some explainin' to do as to why I really won't be able to bring you guys to the beach tonight", she started, putting the controller that was still firmly in her hands on the table before her for now, the game completely forgotten for the moment.

Again, surprise was evident on the other guitarist's face as he did the same with his controller. "Okay ... I'm listening, I guess", he said, completely unsure of what Fang could want to tell him. But he got the impression that it must be rather important as he looked back at Fang's now quite serious facial expression.

"Well, the reason why I have no time to do somethin' with you guys tonight is..", she started, her breath quickening as nervousness overcame her. _Telling them doesn't mean acknowledging it's all serious business with Vanille, does it?_, the fear inside her anxiously asked the one thing she was so afraid of.

No, she wasn't scared of telling the guys. The only thing that _did_ frighten her to no end was to let go her fears of being close to someone, of letting someone truly inside her heart.

And that was the point: By telling Hope and Cid that she was seeing someone she felt that she was admitting to herself that the thing she had with Vanille - whatever it was - was serious and meant something to her. And this, obviously, was just another step of letting the cute girl behind her strong thick barriers and into her heart.

"Fang?", Hope asked suddenly and she only noticed now that she'd totally lost herself in her thoughts about all of this.

"Oh, sorry Hope.", she apologised with a faint smile.

"You ... haven't finished your explanation, I think", he reminded her self-consciously. It seemed that Fang's uncharacteristic behaviour irritated him too.

"Yes, yes, you're absolutely right..", she started again before firmly fixing her gaze on the coffee table in front of her, not wanting to look him in the eyes now.

"The reason is that I'm seein' someone", she finally pressed out despite her fears still raging uncontrollably inside her.

"You mean like ... a date?", Hope asked confusedly. Fang dating someone? It seemed like a strange idea, almost like a paradox. As long as he'd known her, everything she'd been doing was sleeping with girls for just one night, dropping them right after.

"Actually, yes. It's a date.", she confirmed with a nod before raising her gaze again to look at the man beside her. Hadn't she been so nervous about the whole thing she surely would've laughed about the funny expression on his face. It just screamed that all of this apparently didn't make any sense at all to him.

"Seriously? I mean, this seems so ... unlike you.", he almost stammered, confused.

_But maybe_- he scratched his chin. "Or are you just 'dating' her for the usual business?", he winked with a faint shy smile on his lips.

Fang smirked knowingly as she immediately understood what he meant by this. But she shook her head. "No, I'm not just seein' her tonight because I wanna bang her, Hope."

She folded her hands in her lap, a smile that was barely even there on her lips. "Actually, it's not my first date with her. She was the reason why I was out on Saturday, ya know.", she explained and Hope nodded understandingly.

"So it's, uhm, more than just sex with her? I mean, if I may ask this...", he wanted to know.

Fang glanced down at her hands in her lap, then nodded. "Yeah. If it were just sex, I would've already screwed her, you can be sure of that", she laughed.

Hope smiled. "I guess so", he replied with a little snicker of his own. "So you mean this is a more serious thing for you, then?", he wanted to know.

The brunette sighed. _Did he absolutely have to ask this now?_ _I'm still tryin' to figure this out myself!_

"If only I knew, Hope. To be honest with ya, I'm still figuring out what this is with her. It's all so new, the feelings I have for her and everything. It terrifies me", she admitted, momentarily surprised at her own openness towards the man.

But on the other hand, she didn't really care right now. He knew about there being a girl in Fang's life now anyway, so she might as well just talk about the difficult situation she felt herself being in.

"I guess I understand what you mean. But you know what? I think you should just go there tonight and see what happens. Maybe you'll know what this all is for you afterwards", he shrugged his shoulders, smiling kindly.

He didn't see himself exactly as some kind of expert for these kinds of things, but he tried to help his teammate anyway.

"Yeah, guess you're right about that.", she nodded. "But now let's finally go on playin', yeah? Come on, let's have some fun", she suggested, already picking up her controller again with a smirk playing around her lips.

And Hope could only smile and shake his head at Fang's reaction before taking his own controller from the table.

After all, she would find her way. She was a tough woman, and if he knew one thing about her, then it was that she would figure this out for herself sooner or later.


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: **This chapter unfortunately took me a bit longer to complete than I would've liked - sorry for that guys, I know you've been excited to read Fang and Vanille's next date. I just haven't been feeling too well lately and that hindered my efforts to proofread the chapter, that's why it took a few days longer than I thought.

But enough with that, I'm feeling better now and I hope you enjoy reading! :)

* * *

_Chapter Seven_

Vanille was so excited, she had been running around the house for nearly an hour now, doing all kinds of more or less important things.

She shot another glance to the clock on the wall. Fang would be here in about half an hour. She still couldn't believe she had called her yesterday. But she had, it was no illusion. Not at all.

She smiled widely as she remembered Serah's reaction. Her best friend had been eternally happy for her, and of course the younger Farron had insisted to point out how she'd been right that Fang would not let Vanille down and call her with a big "I've known it all along" smile on her lips.

Vanille sighed as she stood once more before her wardrobe. She still couldn't decide what to wear, same problem as usual. And this time, Serah couldn't help her choose. Her best friend was on a date herself with Snow.

After some more minutes of thinking the matter through, Vanille just shook her head. "Whatever, I just pick something now!", she said out loudly to herself before blindly reaching inside the wardrobe, grabbing the first garment her hand touched.

She nodded contentedly as her gaze fell upon the green top in her hand. "That'll do!", she said happily before reaching inside the wardrobe again, this time to find a skirt.

The skirt her hand came into contact with first made her nod in approval again. It was a khaki skirt which would look good on her with the green top, she was sure. She completed the outfit with some open shoes and finally a silver necklace.

As she glanced at the clock again, she was a bit shocked to realise that it was already quarter to eight. She would be here in a few minutes. Vanille quickly went downstairs and found Lightning in the living room, tidying up.

The policewoman turned around the moment Vanille entered the room. "You look good", she approved of the girl's outfit with a slight smile on her face.

"Thank you. I hope Fang will like it too!", Vanille exclaimed excitedly at which Lightning rolled her eyes before turning around again to resume tidying up the shelf before her.

Vanille sat down on the couch and watched some TV and it wasn't much later when they heard the doorbell. "That must be Fang!", Vanille cried out.

"You stay here. I'll get it", Lightning ordered and before Vanille even had a chance to react the policewoman had already stormed off to the door.

* * *

Fang nervously looked around while waiting for Vanille to answer the door. She hoped she had really rung at the right house.

Her gaze immediately shot back to the door as she heard it open. But it was not Vanille who stood before her.

Fang smirked when she saw that in fact, it was the girl's housemate Lightning.

She had already briefly seen her when the pink-haired woman had picked Vanille up after their first date, and it had already been then that she'd gotten the impression Lightning wasn't really fond of her. Especially when she considered what Vanille had told her about the woman's hostility towards each and every boyfriend of Serah.

She had a hunch Lightning wouldn't treat her much differently. Vanille wasn't Serah, sure, but from what the redhead had told her, she had gathered that Lightning pretty much saw her as some sort of second sister, so it was likely that Vanille shared almost all of Serah's 'privileges'.

"Hey, I'm Fang, nice to finally meet ya in person. I'm here to pick up Vanille", the guitarist began, her smirk widening a little as she reached out her hand politely to Lightning.

Lightning kept the stoic expression on her face, completely ignoring the reached out hand as she only nodded curtly and flatly said "Come in" before walking inside.

_Such a warm welcome, she absolutely loves me already apparently._, Fang joked inwardly while following the woman inside.

Lightning could've directly led her to the living room where Vanille was waiting for her. The concerned policewoman, however, had something else to take care of beforehand. And so she did, as she abruptly stood still in the middle of the hallway and turned around to the slightly taller woman behind her.

"There's something I want to mention before you drive off with her", Lightning calmly said with a coolness to her voice that could've made hell froze over.

"Sure, bring it on", Fang nonchalantly answered with a hand on her hip. She had a feeling she knew what awaited her already.

Lightning's voice was barely above a whisper now as she spoke, her eyes coldly staring back at Fang. They seemed to pierce right through her very being.

"Listen, I'm only gonna warn you about this once. If you fuck her over, if you hurt her in any way, I will break you, and I mean it. Is that clear?", the pink-haired woman threatened, her face only inches away from Fang's, her hands firmly placed on the guitarist's shoulders. Her facial expression was completely absent of emotion, stoic.

Even though Fang could feel the seriousness of the threat not only physically by the painful grip on her shoulders but also emotionally, she couldn't help but smirk at it. In a way, it was just adorable how Lightning got all protective over Vanille.

She quickly resumed a more serious expression, though, as she began to speak. "I understand your concern, really, I do.", she started, trying to ignore the coldness in the blue hues that stared back at her.

She saw that Lightning opened her mouth to say something but Fang quickly beat her to it, continuing her explanation.

Completely occupied with each other, the two women, however, did not notice that in the meantime, Vanille had come looking for them just in time to silently watch Fang explaining herself to her housemate from the doorframe to the living room down the hallway.

"As I said, I can absolutely see why you're sceptical about this. And I guess whatever in the world I may say now, you probably won't believe one word of it because you don't trust me, and again, I see your point.", Fang tried diplomatically, her voice calm and serious.

"So I guess all I can do is ask you for a chance to try and show you that I don't intend to hurt Vanille in any way. More I can't do. So please, just give me this chance. My words, obviously, can't convince you but maybe my actions can.", Fang continued calmly. And she was even a little surprised herself at her diplomatic attitude towards Lightning. Normally, it would've been much more like her to mock the pink-haired woman for her hostility.

But not now. And it seemed she was successful, as Lightning slowly loosened her grip on the brunette's shoulders before stepping back a little, nodding.

"Okay", the policewoman finally said, her voice much more peaceful now and the hostility absent from her blue eyes again as she gazed at Fang.

"You have your chance. But remember my words. They still count, and I will not hold back should it be necessary to protect Vanille from you", she reminded Fang seriously.

The guitarist nodded understandingly and Vanille, who had been watching the whole scene, quickly withdrew to the living room so as not to be caught.

But Fang's words stayed in her mind, and it made her feel good about her. She'd assured Lightning she wouldn't want to hurt Vanille, and even though she could've just said that, there had just been so much honesty to her words that Vanille believed her without doubt.

The two women turned around and walked down the rest of the hallway together before entering the living room where Vanille sat in front of the TV, pretending to have watched all the time.

She turned her head when Lightning and Fang entered. "Hey guys, it took you a while", she happily stated before switching the TV off and getting up.

"Yeah we talked and got to know each other a little", Fang explained nonchalantly with her typical smirk. Lightning glared at her, obviously not too happy about her little joke.

"I see", Vanille answered with a smile, trying to pretend she hadn't in fact watched them 'getting to know each other a little' in the hallway.

"So, are ya ready to leave?", Fang asked and Vanille only nodded, picking up her purse from the couch.

They made their way to the door with Lightning directly behind them and when they stood outside, the policewoman gave Fang a reminding look again before wishing them a nice evening and closing the door behind them.

* * *

Fang gentlemanly opened the door of her car for Vanille to get in before closing it behind her and taking a second to look around for paparazzi. But apparently, she'd done a good job in losing them on her way here - something she'd grown quite good at since they'd gotten famous - and so none of the nasty guys was to be seen. Perfect.

Nodding confidently, she got in the car, not wanting to keep Vanille waiting. She smiled contentedly to her as she started the engine.

"Is this your car?", Vanille curiously asked when they drove down the street.

Fang laughed a little. "No, I rented it. My own car is at my apartment in Eden"

The brunette shortly glanced over to the girl beside her and she was certain she saw a glimpse of sadness in her eyes. "Oh. When do you have to go back?"

"We'll be stayin' here for another two or three weeks for holiday", Fang explained truthfully. She didn't mention that there was an option for the band to move to Bodhum and work there in the future if the record label and the guys agreed.

Seeing that she wanted to find out if it was in fact something serious with Vanille first before setting everything in motion to try and move to Bodhum, she didn't think it was right to tell the girl about this option now.

Even more so because Sazh had briefly talked to her before she'd driven off to the date, mentioning that there'd be some serious matter regarding the record label they'd have to discuss tonight once Fang was back. She had a hunch that - whatever it was - it'd have an impact on the idea to move.

"I see", Vanille responded quietly, staring down at her hands.

Fang, noticing the girl's momentary sadness, decided to quickly change the subject. She didn't want to see her unhappy, much less so on a date.

"You look great, by the way", she said, smiling over to the girl and it seemed to work as a smile once again played around her lips.

"Thank you, Fang. You look great, too, even though it's nothing like your usual style today!", Vanille voiced her thoughts about Fang's outfit. To say she'd been surprised when she'd first laid eyes on the outfit tonight would be an understatement.

And it was true, Fang was indeed wearing a sort of clothes she normally only wore in private but never on stage: She had gone for a white skirt that was a little longer than knee-length, a blue shirt with a low neckline and open shoes with small heels.

"Yeah you're right about that, sweetheart. I only wear stuff like this in private and only rarely so.", she explained with a smile but her gaze focused on the road.

"I'm glad ya like it", she added after a moment.

Vanille nodded approvingly. "By the way, will you tell me now where we're headed?", she asked, her voice laced with curiosity.

"We're almost there, you'll see in a second", Fang smirked before taking a right onto a parking place. When she stopped the car and turned off the engine, Vanille stared in wonder.

"The beach? You're taking me to the beach?", she asked.

"Yep. You don't like it?", Fang replied while they were getting out of the car.

"I didn't say that", Vanille smiled as they wandered off together. She gasped softly in surprise, however, when she saw that apparently, Fang had really done her preparations and had somehow managed to get the city authorities to cordon off the area of the beach they were at for the evening.

Seeing her reaction, Fang smirked at the girl. "I didn't want us to be disturbed by nasty reporters or fans.", she answered the question that was written so clearly on Vanille's face.

Vanille nodded in understanding as Fang led her to a small restaurant that overlooked the beach. The sight was astonishing and it made the meals they enjoyed there even better.

And slowly, Vanille got a little, just a little used to the thought that there was an entire beach _area _cordoned off just for her and Fang's date. But that was just one of these unusual things you experienced when dating a famous rockstar, she guessed with an inward smile.

* * *

The sun was slowly disappearing and painted the sky in a deep orange as they left the restaurant. They stood outside, just watching the ocean for some moments before Fang broke the silence.

"Wanna take a walk on the beach?", she suggested nonchalantly. In her dream, they had been doing this as well, she wanted to see if it would turn out just as wonderful in reality.

"I'd love that", Vanille replied before beginning to walk down the stairs from the restaurant to the sandy beach with Fang following her. Once the girl was on the last stair, she took off her shoes, carrying them in her left hand.

She waited for Fang to do the same before their gazes met for a brief moment and Vanille offered the older woman her free hand. Fang took the smaller hand in hers without thinking twice, smiling as they wandered through the still warm sand together.

They walked in a comfortable silence until they got to the water and went inside a little, continuing to saunter down the almost completely empty beach together.

Slowly, Vanille stopped, turning to face the ocean. Fang stood beside her, tightening the grip of her hand on the girl's a little and received an approving squeeze from her.

"It's really wonderful here tonight. I've been here on the beach numerous times, often with Serah, but still it feels different tonight ... special", Vanille finally said with such a calm voice that it almost got lost in the wind.

"I'm glad you like it", Fang responded, feeling utterly at peace right now.

"I do. The evening was really great and...", she paused, a slight blush coming to her face before she continued a bit shyly. "...and romantic, you know", Vanille smiled, the blush on her face more visible now.

Fang smiled. The statement warmed her heart. In fact, it warmed her so much she felt the sudden urge to kiss the girl beside her. But she wasn't sure if this wouldn't be too early or plainly too bold for Vanille, so she approached it slowly and with care.

"You know ... we could make it even more romantic", Fang began carefully, turning a little so she was now facing Vanille.

"W-what do you mean by that..?", Vanille self-consciously asked while turning around herself to face the brunette.

Fang made a step towards the girl so that she stood directly before her, their bodies only inches apart.

"Kiss me, Vanille.", she whispered. Her jade eyes stared back at Vanille's emerald ones, and there was a fire burning in them as she spoke these three words, hoping Vanille wouldn't deny her that which she craved so much right now.

It seemed like she got all the answer she needed as she saw that very same fire burn in the girl's eyes that her own gaze held. She wanted it.

But she saw something else there as well. Fear. She was afraid, but why?

"I- I...", Vanille stammered helplessly, both fear and love fighting for dominance inside her.

Fang smiled softly as she leaned forward slowly without another word, trying her luck.

All resistance was broken as her lips made contact with Vanille's own soft ones. And as they engaged in their first kiss, Fang realised why Vanille had been hesitating moments ago.

It was her very first kiss, obviously. It all made sense to Fang now as she taught the inexperienced girl how to kiss.

Slowly, Vanille began to relax more and wrapped her arms around Fang's waist, pulling her closer to her body.

Fang snaked her own hands slowly around the girl's body as well, one hand landing on her back, the other on her hip.

Their kiss grew more intense and Fang decided to take the next step, carefully seeking permission to enter the girl's mouth with her tongue.

Vanille complied almost immediately and opened her mouth. Both released a pleased moan into the kiss as their tongues met. Vanille was still a little shy, letting Fang lead and dominate the kiss, trying to learn from the experienced brunette.

And slowly, as the need for air became too great, the two broke apart, both breathing audibly. Their gazes didn't leave each other's for one second as they just stood there, still holding each other.

And they both noticed that this kiss had changed something between them. It was as if the simple and yet so meaningful act had managed to make them feel so much more at ease with each other now, so much more ... intimate. It made them feel so connected, just as if they'd already known each other for a lifetime. It was as though a big part of an invisible barrier between the two had broken, just like that.

"That was really good for your first kiss, ya know", Fang finally broke the silence with a loving smile on her lips.

Vanille blushed, suddenly looking away from Fang in shame.

"Hey, nothing bad about that", Fang said softly, placing her hand on the girl's cheek to make her look at her again. "I don't mind, really. And as I said: you were pretty good considering that it was the first time you did this"

"R-Really?", Vanille tentatively responded, slowly tilting her head to lock eyes with Fang again.

"Yeah, really", Fang nodded and Vanille smiled gladly, relaxing once more.

"See, that's much better", the guitarist approved before placing a soft kiss on her forehead, still holding the embrace.

"So, what now?", she asked while wiping a strand of dark hair from her face.

"Mhh...", Vanille contorted her face, obviously in thought. But it wasn't long before it lightened up again and a slightly devilish smile found its way on her lips.

"I've got an idea", the redhead announced before freeing herself from the embrace and running off, slowly at first.

Fang stared at her in complete confusion before the girl stopped some metres away from her, turning around. "Catch me if you caaaan", she shouted over to Fang before running further off again, giggling.

"Ohhh just you wait till I get ya, love!", Fang exclaimed with a devilish smile of her own as she ran after the girl.

Both laughed playfully as Fang finally managed to catch Vanille, throwing her arms around her abdomen to hold her in place. "Gotcha", she laughed before letting the girl go again.

The redhead giggled happily before leaning forward, placing a quick peck on Fang's lips, who was totally caught off guard by the sudden unusually bold action of the girl. Not that she had any complaints, though.

They decided to sit down in the sand for some more minutes to enjoy the ocean and see the last rays of sunlight slowly disappear. It was almost dark when they

* * *

Fang accompanied the girl to the house and when the redhead noticed she had forgotten her key Fang rang the doorbell.

She turned to face her when all of a sudden, something came to her mind and it seemed her hand acted out of its own as it disappeared in her pocket, taking out an old small piece of paper.

"Do ya have a pen or somethin'?", she asked the girl, who had an irritated look on her face but nodded, quickly finding the pencil in her purse she always carried with her alongside other useful things.

"Thanks", Fang reached for the pencil and wrote something on the paper before handing it to Vanille.

"This is my number. Please don't give it to others without askin' me for permission beforehand. I trust you on that", she explained before looking down in thought for a brief moment. There were still these nasty doubts raging inside her, telling her that it had been wrong to just give her the number after only the second date.

And more so the doubts inside her mercilessly tried to keep her from telling the girl openly what she felt right now. But there was no use, as she wiped her doubts and fears away completely, if only for a moment, to be able to say what her heart screamed.

The brunette didn't notice, however, how the door opened and both Serah and Lightning stood in the doorframe in silence, listening to her explaining her feelings to Vanille.

"Listen, I know that this was only our second date and you have all the right in the world to laugh at me or whatever if this sounds ridiculous to you, but I just wanted to let you know that this all means somethin' to me", she explained, her gaze fixed firmly on Vanille's.

_"You _mean somethin' to me, Vanille, this is how I feel. I realised this tonight. I never thought I could feel this way about someone, especially not after only knowing her for a few days, but seems that reality proved me wrong", she added with a soft smile.

Her features lightened up even more as the redhead answered with a smile of her own, her ability to speak momentarily lost at the heart-warming words.

But she quickly found her voice again. "I feel the same, Fang. And no, it's not ridiculous. Some might find it fast, hasty even, and maybe it is, but who cares if it feels right for the both of us?", Vanille smiled, taking Fang's hands in hers. She had certainly lost a good part of her shyness towards Fang during the evening, especially after their kiss.

Fang went to say something when she was interrupted by someone to her left clearing their throat. She jumped a little in surprise, turning her head to see Serah and Lightning standing in the doorway.

Serah had a huge grin on her face and even Lightning could not hide the hint of a soft smile on her lips.

"Sorry for kinda spying on you guys but we didn't want to interrupt", Serah apologised and Vanille immediately blushed. Even Fang smiled sheepishly now as Serah began to laugh happily.

"This was really cute, you know", the younger Farron enthusiastically commented on the scene she had witnessed but was quickly elbowed by Lightning.

"Come on Serah, let's go inside and give them some more privacy, or would you want Vanille and me spying on you and Snow?", Lightning reprimanded her sister before dragging her inside, nodding apologetically to the women who stood there completely dumbstruck.

Vanille was the first to find her voice again. "Well, that was strange!", she exclaimed happily, followed by some giggling.

Fang couldn't help but smirk herself. "Yeah, you're right about that."

"And you're also right about what you said before we were interrupted. If it feels right for us then it _is_ right.", Fang verbalised her agreement while softly stroking over the hands that still held hers.

"Yep", Vanille nodded. She turned her head to the still open door. "So I guess, uhm ... it's time to say goodbye, _for tonight_", she emphasised the last part on purpose and it cast a smile on Fang's face.

"Okay, then good night and sleep tight, Vanille", Fang said while letting the girl's hands go and slowly stepping back a little. She was just about to turn around and make her way back to her car when Vanille harrumphed.

"Don't you think you've forgotten something?", she smiled a bit cheekily though it belied her inner surprise at how much more forward she'd become towards Fang after they'd shared their first kiss.

It seemed that a good part of the fear inside her that had forced her to hold back and be shy had been erased by that one kiss. The kiss that had not only been her very first but had, moreover, proven her that indeed she meant something to Fang. She was glad that she felt more comfortable with the brunette now, that her trust in her had grown.

Fang found herself smirking as she realised in an instant what Vanille meant. She obliged immediately, stepping closer to the girl again before placing her hand softly on her cheek.

"Tch, how dare I..", Fang scolded herself jokingly. She just wanted to lean in for the kiss when Vanille beat her to it, quickly closing the remaining distance between them, pressing her lips against Fang's.

The older woman smiled into the kiss, enjoying the girl's increased boldness, though she still had to get used to it. But she would, and she was happy that the redhead had opened up to her more. It helped her, too, to feel more at ease.

Their kiss was slow and tender, neither of them in a hurry. They enjoyed every second of it before they reluctantly broke apart, smiling at each other.

"Good night, love", Fang said before stepping back again.

"Good night, Fang", Vanille responded and walked inside, waving again as the older woman had reached the car and turned around once more.

As Fang drove off, the girl closed the door, leaning against it with a big smile on her face. This was just too good to be true. Had someone told her before all this that she would be dating Fang Yun, she would've laughed, taking it as a terrible attempt to be funny.

She was pulled out of her thoughts, however, by Serah who walked around the corner, her huge smile still present on her face. But there was also this odd spark to her eyes, and somehow Vanille had a hunch that Serah had secretly watched their kiss moments ago.

"Seems like your second date worked out quite well, huh?", the younger Farron asked happily, her grin widening suspiciously.

"You've continued watching the entire time, haven't you?", Vanille bluntly asked her and got all the confirmation she needed as Serah blushed, quickly looking away.

"Well, uh ... it was _sooo_ romantic! How was I supposed not to watch?", Serah defended herself weakly.

Vanille could only shake her head. "Typical", she grinned before the two wandered off to the living room where Lightning sat in front of the TV.

"She watched again, didn't she?", the older Farron asked knowingly as she saw the two of them enter. Vanille only nodded whilst sitting down beside her.

"I figured as much. She told me she wanted to go and fetch something to drink from the kitchen but obviously there was something more interesting on the way", Lightning said almost unemotionally, glancing over to Serah with that knowing look still on her face.

The younger Farron could only blush again as she apologised to both of them once more. But no one was really angry at her behaviour, after all it was just _so_ typical for her. And they certainly did not want to change Serah, they loved her the way she was.

They spent another hour watching TV, with Vanille telling them about her date in detail before they went on to more general discussions about this and that and went to bed when fatigue threatened to gain the upper hand.

* * *

**AN: **Please let me know how you liked it! I had a lot of fun writing their date and I'm really happy how it turned out, hope you feel the same :)

About the next chapter, it might take a while again, as I'll be away this coming weekend and therefore my time to write is a bit more limited. But don't worry, I don't think it'll take too long!

Other than that I was very happy they announced that Vanille will be in LR. Sure, wasn't such a big surprise after Fang's appearance was confirmed, but I was still happy about the news. Though I wonder, as she'll be in Luxerion and therefore quite far away from Fang, what might've happened that they've been separated once again, just like in XIII. I'm already dying to find out and pray inwardly that SE hasn't somehow decided to drive them apart so they don't care about each other anymore like before or something like that.

Anyway, just wanted to share my thoughts on that with you - hope I don't talk too much, haha :) LR can't come fast enough!


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: **Here's the next chapter! Have fun reading :)

I know it's really short (as you'll notice, this one's doing a lot of the explaining again), but the next one will be pretty long again, and as I've been working on the story a lot in the last two days, it's actually quite likely that Chapter Nine will be up even before Friday.

* * *

_Chapter Eight_

It was already quite late when Fang returned from her date with Vanille, feeling a bit tired. She was just about to open the door to her room when she remembered that Sazh had wanted to talk about something important - she wondered if he still wanted to do it so late in the evening.

There was only one way to find out, and so she walked the few steps over to his room and knocked on the wooden door. A few moments later, she heard steps from the other side, and then the door was unlocked and opened, revealing her band colleague in his white-blue striped pyjamas.

Fang smirked at the sight. "Have I woken ya?"

Sazh smiled, shaking his head. "No, I've been readin' a little. What's up, girl?"

"Well, ya told me we'd have an important talk after my date, so I wanted to check if this was still true despite the late hour", she explained, wiping a strand of hair from her face.

The man chuckled, propping his arm against the doorframe. "No, it's alright. We'll do it tomorrow, okay? I'd actually thought your date wouldn't take as long as it did, and when it got later and later, we just decided to discuss it tomorrow"

"But it's okay, really. Don't worry, we're not mad at ya", he quickly added as he saw concern in Fang's face for the split of a second.

"I see ... will ya just let me know what this is about? I mean, you sounded quite serious when ya told me we'd have to discuss somethin'", Fang asked of the man, smiling lazily in an attempt to hide the mix of nervousness and curiosity she felt about this matter, whatever it was.

Sazh found himself smiling at the question, lifting an eyebrow when he realised how eager Fang seemed to be to learn more about the matter.

"Sure, actually it should be somethin' ya can be happy about", he slowly began, a small grin forming on his lips.

"I mean, at least if your date went well ... and if ya like Bodhum", he added, his grin widening a little at his cryptic words.

"What do ya mean? Come on, don't put me on the rack any longer", Fang smirked, realising the amusement Sazh drew out of the situation.

"Alright.", he chuckled briefly, "It's simple: The record label gave me an unexpected call yesterday, informin' me that they'll close the studio in Eden because of financial reasons. They still have studios in Palumpolum and Bodhum, so we'd have to move to either of these cities", he said, stroking over his chin in thought.

Fang's eyes shortly widened in surprise at the unexpected news, and it was quickly followed by a smile when she realised what this could mean for her and Vanille should they decide to move to the beach city.

"So is it already settled that we'll go along with this, and we'll just decide on which city we choose tomorrow, or what?", the brunette asked for clarification after a moment, furrowing her brows as thousands of thoughts flooded her mind at the new information presented to her, desperately trying to process and think everything through.

"Actually, there's a clause in our contract that they're in their rights to, yeah, 'move' us like that if it's not too far away. So, to put it this way, according to the contract, we have to go along with it.", the man explained seriously.

Fang nodded, understanding. "So we'll just have to decide which city we want, yeah?", she concluded.

"Yeah. I've already had a brief talk with the guys, and it seems like they prefer Palumpolum, but maybe you can convince them otherwise...", he smiled, winking to the woman before him.

"Maybe. I'll try", Fang winked back. There was a moment of silence before the woman looked at her colleague again.

"Alright then, I'll go hit the sac now, yeah? Sleep tight, Sazh"

"G'night, Fang", he nodded and yawned before closing the door.

* * *

The next morning approached quickly and soon, after a long, enjoyable breakfast with the guys, Fang found herself with them in Sazh's room for their talk.

Everyone sat down where it suited them best, and then Sazh cleared his throat to get everyone's attention.

"So, y'all know why we're sittin' here. We wanna decide which city we'll choose to move to.", he began, leaning forward a little on his chair.

He was interrupted, however, when Cid suddenly spoke up with a grin on his face. "First, I'd like to know where you've been all night yesterday, Fang", he playfully asked of the woman.

Fang couldn't help but smirk in return as Sazh just facepalmed at the question but stayed quiet for now, while Hope had a subtle smile on his face as well - after all, everyone except Cid knew very well where she'd been, and with whom.

"I've been on a date", she self-confidently blurted out with an even more self-confident smile on her face.

Cid's jaw dropped immediately. "You- what? A date? I mean- _you_ on a date?", he stammered incredulously.

Fang nodded, smirking smugly at the surprised reaction. "Yep, a date", she confirmed again.

Cid shook his head in disbelief. "But - just for clarification - you're telling me it's a real date, not some one night stand stuff, yes?"

"Yep, I've had my second date with her tonight and there's been no sex so far. I haven't even touched her sexually yet, if you must know", Fang explained nonchalantly.

Now that she came to think of it, it actually made her wonder herself that she had had no problems with the lack of sex so far, seeing how in the past, she'd done nothing but have one night stands with women she'd only barely known from a concert or so. Therefore, it seemed so unlike her, but it was no lie that she hadn't really given sex much thought so far with Vanille.

It just felt too early, simply not right yet. And now that she had found out the girl had never kissed someone before her and therefore must also be a virgin, she certainly wouldn't start pushing for it. No, it was just one more good reason to wait for the right time.

"Oookay ... well seems like our predator here is retiring from the wild hunt at long last, huh?", Cid joked, wiping a strand of dark hair from his face.

Fang laughed. "Seems so. At least I've gotten more clarity today and I'm sure now that I really wanna be together with her. I wanna make this work. It feels right, you know, guys", she was addressing everyone in the room now.

And even though it sounded so relaxed like the woman Fang was, this statement was a big step for her because it meant finally _fully_ acknowledging her feelings not only before the others but also before herself. It meant admitting and recognising the emotions she had just voiced.

But it felt easier than she would've thought. Probably because she had once already openly explained her emotions to Vanille and, unknowingly at first, to Serah and Lightning last night.

"I see. Well congratulations, hope it works out for you guys", Cid smiled to her. "And if it does, then maybe you'll introduce her to us one day, yes?", he added with a wink.

"Sure, why not. She happens to be a fan of the band anyway, so I think she'd love that.", she smiled.

"And actually, she is also the reason why I'd prefer moving to Bodhum, ya know", she added then, remembering that they'd actually come together here to make a decision where to move and not to talk about her and Vanille.

And Sazh seemed to be thankful for that as he sighed in content.

Cid nodded. "I understand. I guess then we could also go to Bodhum, if you ask me. I just preferred Palumpolum because I'm not such a big fan of beach cities. But if moving here helps you keeping contact with your girlfriend, then I'll do you that favour"

"She's not my girlfriend yet", Fang corrected.

Cid shrugged in response. "Well, if not that then you at least sure as hell sounded like she'll be soon, so...", he smiled, trailing off.

"So what about you, Hope? You also okay with Bodhum, or what's your take on this?", Sazh then wanted to know, turning to the silver-haired man.

Hope scratched his chin. "I would love to go to Palumpolum, but for Fang I'm also willing to choose Bodhum. It's not a bad city, too, so I'll be fine", he said with a kind smile to the woman, who nodded in approval.

"Thank you, guys. Both of you. It means a lot", she addressed them, giving a smile to the men.

It made Sazh's features soften as well as he once again spoke up. "So it's settled then. We'll choose Bodhum. I'll contact the label and inform them about this right away", he said and got up, stretching briefly before making his way to the phone.

"And guys? I'd already start lookin' for a place to live as soon as possible, so no dawdling, yes?", he smiled, though it belied the seriousness of his statement.

Everyone nodded and voiced their consent and then quickly left the room to leave their manager to his business.

* * *

Fang smiled when she entered her room and her gaze fell upon her mobile phone. It seemed like a perfect moment to call Vanille and tell her the good news. She was sure the girl would be quite happy to learn that Fang would move to her city soon.

So she picked up the phone and called her, explaining the situation to the redhead. To say she was happy would've been an understatement. In fact, she almost screamed so loudly Fang had to quickly draw the phone away from her ear.

"This is so great, Fang! I actually thought we'd try and keep contact over the distance once you would've returned to Eden! But now ... we can continue seeing each other!", Vanille exclaimed happily.

"Yeah that's right. But don't forget I'll still have to go back to Eden for at least some weeks to sort everything out before. You don't just move like that, it'll take some organising and time", she reminded the girl kindly with a smile on her lips.

"Sure, that's alright. By the way, do you wanna go to the cinema on Saturday?", Vanille asked.

"Yeah, let's do that. At seven at your place?"

"Yep!", the girl replied, and they talked for another few minutes before hanging up.

* * *

The rest of the week passed by quickly, and now that Fang had given her number to Vanille as well, it quickly became some sort of ritual for them to talk to each other on the phone, mostly in the evening, to share their daily events with the other and discuss various topics.

And before they knew it, it was already Saturday.

* * *

**AN: **Thanks for reading and for your support, as always. Any suggestions, opinions or criticism? Put it in the reviews! :)

* * *

**AN²: **Finally, I'd like to address one of my guest reviewers, Dorkswag:

Thanks for the suggestion you made. I think it was good and actually somewhat necessary that someone reminded me to do something about the conflict aspect of the story. You know, it had been on my mind for some time now that I felt quite the same as you. I thought: This is great but we need more drama, more conflicts, or strife, as you put it. But until I saw your review this morning, I'd actually planned on building their relationship, letting them get comfortable with each other and _then_ adding a major conflict. It felt like the only thing I could come up with, and I wasn't entirely happy with it. Well, and when I read the review it was like a kick in the ass, somehow, and I sat down and began rewriting the complete Chapter Nine (yes, it had already been done, though not proofread^^) to add not a major, but a minor conflict there. It was all I could do without having to completely throw over my concept for the following chapters, which I really really didn't want to do. I hope you will like what I came up with in terms of conflict! Also, I'm glad that you like the story and its fluff so far and enjoy it :)


	9. Chapter 9

**AN:** Phew, next chapter done, and it's the longest so far! I hope you like it, enjoy :)

* * *

_Chapter Nine_

It was a pleasant warm evening as Fang sat in her car, driving the way to Vanille's home. The sun still shone brightly as it was normal for the long days one experienced in summer.

After only a few minutes of driving, the guitarist arrived at Farron's, parking her car near before taking another look around.

_Damn it_. Not too obvious, but still more than blatant for her practised eye, she spotted a paparazzo in a small car on the other side of the road. She must've been so lost in her thoughts on her way to Farron's that she had failed to shake off this one.

This happened sometimes, unfortunately, and she was happy it was only one - she'd successfully lost the other ones on her way here. She scratched her head as she swiftly made her way over to the man who suddenly looked in every direction but not hers.

She smirked as she knocked against his window and luckily, the man complied and wound it down, looking at her as innocently as possible.

"No excuses, please. I know you're followin' me to take photos 'n stuff.", she cut him off even before he could say one word. Then she quickly took some money out of her wallet so that the man could see.

She held the money up in front of him. "Soooo ... will this convince ya to drive off and leave me alone for tonight?"

He stared at the money, and Fang had to smirk even more as she saw the desire in his eyes. Oh, this trick worked with all of them. You just had to find out their price.

"I think ... we have a deal", the man finally spoke with a hint of a smile and reached out for the money, but Fang was fast and pulled it away before he could get his fingers on it.

"Ah, ah. Wait a minute. One more thing: You forget you've ever seen me here. That also means deleting any photos you've already taken, got that? And I mean now. I'm waitin'", she said and leaned forward again, her gaze fixed on the camera he held in his hands.

The man gulped and quickly deleted the photos under Fang's strict look. After she'd made sure all were deleted, she gave him the money, winked lazily and wandered off with a smile as she heard him start the engine behind her.

When she'd reached the entrance of Farron's, she turned around once more and smiled contentedly with a bit of smugness as she saw the man's car disappearing in the distance.

She rang the doorbell and had to smirk as she remembered the last time she'd done this and had been let in by Lightning only to be aggressively reminded to be good to Vanille right afterwards.

She was sure whoever would open the door tonight, it would be much more pleasant than the last time. And she was right as the door swung open moments later and Vanille stood before her with a big smile on her cute face.

"Hey Fang!", she exclaimed excitedly.

"Hey sweetie", Fang greeted her before hugging her tightly. The embrace was followed by a quick peck on the lips, initiated by Vanille, before the redhead invited her in.

"We still have some time, haven't we? I'd like to introduce you to somebody"

"Sure, I'm a little early anyway", Fang answered while following the girl inside. She headed for the living room, apparently.

As they entered the big room, Fang could see Lightning sitting on the couch with Serah on her left, and beside Serah sat a man she didn't know yet. It must be the guy Vanille wanted to introduce her to.

"Evening guys", Fang greeted them with a smirk. Lightning only responded with an appreciative nod and a little smile while Serah got up, dragging the man beside her up with her only to practically storm right towards Fang to greet her.

"Hey Fang!", she said, smiling.

"Hello Fang, I'm Snow, Serah's boyfriend. Nice meeting you!", the man beside her spoke up, reaching out his big hand.

"Hey Snow, nice meetin' you too", Fang smirked before shaking his hand firmly. But there was something about him she couldn't get out of her head. It was something about his voice, it seemed so ... familiar. But why? She had never met the man before, had only been told a few things about him by Vanille.

"Something wrong?", he asked confusedly, obviously noticing Fang's thoughts raging on as she furrowed her brows a little.

"I don't know, it sounds weird but I feel like I know your voice from somewhere ... that's funny, isn't it?", she laughed.

And all of a sudden, everyone around her was laughing or giggling a little as well. She wondered if her comment had really been so funny or what it was they were laughing about.

"Actually, it's not weird at all. You must know my voice from the radio, I work at Bodhum 101", he explained, smiling.

"Ah, I see!", Fang answered as everything became clear to her. It made sense.

She was suddenly dragged out of their talk, however, as she was poked gently by Vanille.

"I think we need to go, Fang! The movie's starting in a few minutes", the girl piped up.

And so they did. Quickly saying their goodbyes to everyone, they left the house, hopped in the car and made their way to the cinema Vanille had suggested.

* * *

"So, you wanted to see that romantic movie, right?", Fang asked as they entered the cinema.

Vanille nodded excitedly. "Yep, definitely!"

Fang sighed with a smile. "Alright. I'm not a fan of those but never mind. We can watch it if that's what you wanna do"

Vanille giggled and linked her arm with Fang's as they went to buy their tickets.

Once they sat and watched the movie, Fang noticed it didn't take her long to regret having given in to Vanille's wish.

She didn't have a problem with romance, no. It was more that she found the women in these movies were often shown as some stupid love-struck girlies that weren't quite capable of thinking for themselves, especially once they found their Prince Charming.

Honestly, she despised that image of women. It was not appealing or cool or whatever at all, no, actually she as a woman felt offended by it more often than not.

But as she didn't want to ruin Vanille's good mood, she just sat there, shut up and watched in silence, hoping it would be over soon.

She smiled as during a particularly romantic scene, the girl took her hand in hers, intertwining their fingers. It made enduring that movie so much easier and soon she was redeemed when they saw the credits appearing on the screen.

"That was cool, huh!", Vanille exclaimed happily as they left the cinema.

"Yeah, totally. I don't get what ya see in these movies, but well ... you had a good time, so it's okay", Fang shrugged as they walked down the way to the parking area.

"Next time we can watch a movie you like! How about that?", Vanille suggested and Fang nodded in agreement, smiling to her. She turned to her when suddenly, Vanille stopped.

"Uhm ... actually, I think I'll need to go inside again ... I drank a bit much", the girl explained a little embarrassedly and Fang nodded again, smirking a little.

"Sure, I'll wait here", she said and leaned against a nearby wall as the redhead walked back to the cinema again.

As she looked around in boredom, she suddenly noticed a familiar-looking woman on the other side of the street. She narrowed her eyes a little in an attempt to figure out who it was, and in that moment, the woman turned her head and spotted her, the smile on her face indicating she'd recognised Fang as she walked over to her.

As the woman came closer, the guitarist realised who she was. Unsurprisingly, she was one of the women Fang had slept with not so long ago. She gulped.

"Hey Fang! What a surprise meeting you here! You remember me?", the blonde woman asked once she'd reached Fang, a suggestive smile on her lips.

The brunette's stomach tied to a knot immediately. It was blatantly obvious already what the woman wanted, why she'd approached her with this suggestive, almost seductive smile on her lips.

"Yeah I do. Rina it was, right?", she tried to play it cool, smirking to the woman. She had to quickly get rid of her before Vanille returned. She didn't want the girl to see this, it would certainly not make a good impression.

"Yes, exactly", Rina replied cheerfully, basking in the feeling that Fang had remembered her name. "You know, it's really a funny coincidence meeting you here! I'm just here on vacation, you see!", she went on excitedly, stepping closer to Fang.

"Uh-huh", Fang replied, smiling to hide how uncomfortable she actually felt and how little she cared about what Rina was telling her.

"Ah, you know ... now that you're here and we met by chance ... how 'bout we go to my place and have some fun? It isn't far away", she offered Fang, revealing what she'd wanted all along. She quickly made another step towards the brunette so that their bodies were almost touching, underlining she meant what she'd said.

With the wall still directly behind her, Fang was unable to move away from her as the woman suddenly threw her hands around her neck, pulling her close.

"No, don't say anything. I know you want it, Fang. Remember our last time? You were soincredibly turned on", the woman said lowly, her eyes filled with desire as she didn't give Fang a chance to word some sort of defence by swiftly closing the remaining distance between them, pressing her lips onto Fang's and pushing her up against the wall.

* * *

Vanille hummed contentedly as she made her way back from the toilets out of the cinema to find Fang. She smiled dreamily as she thought about this and that, happy with herself and the world.

Her happiness was violently killed off the moment she walked around the corner and spotted Fang. No, not only Fang. She was standing there, _kissing _another woman heatedly.

Vanille's mouth hung open widely in surprise as she just stood there frozen for a moment, not believing her own eyes. How... ? Why...? She felt tears running down her cheeks as she fully realised what was happening before her very eyes.

Unable to avert her gaze, she continued staring at the two in utter shock and sadness, seeing how Fang rudely broke the kiss by shoving the woman away.

But her heart was too broken to think about the reasons for that, and as the girl noticed the bus approaching the station on the other side of the road, she quickly ran over to get inside.

All she wanted was to go home, and now. "Vanille! Wait!", she heard Fang call behind her as she ran to the bus, but it only made her run faster. She didn't want this woman to be near her, she didn't want to talk to her.

Her tears flew freely as she sat down inside the bus and buried her face in her hands, crying with loud, desperate sobs. The bus was almost empty, and the few people inside left her alone with her sadness.

When she finally arrived home, she quickly ran up to her room and slammed the door shut, not answering any of the concerned questions Lightning and Serah asked her as she passed them. All she wanted was to be alone.

She cried unrestrainedly as she hugged her pillow, snuggling up against it. She felt so betrayed, so utterly ... hurt. She sobbed even more when she thought that Lightning had been right from the start. She should've listened to her warnings, she should've known Fang wouldn't be able to be faithful to her.

She should've known that Fang was probably not even really interested in her, and had quickly found a new girl - one that would immediately give her what she apparently only wanted: sex.

Sure, it made sense, she thought bitterly. She hadn't spread her legs for the woman, and so she'd lost her patience tonight, after the third date and no signs that Vanille would change that, quickly taking another girl she could immediately drag to bed.

It was only a few moments later when the girl heard both Serah and Lightning on the other side of her door, pleading her to be let in. But as she really wanted to be alone now, she only briefly explained them what had happened before they left her with herself again.

* * *

Fang tried to break out of the forced kiss, but Rina was stronger than she'd thought, pinning her to the wall. But no, she didn't want this! She squirmed, trying to get away from the woman, until finally, she managed to shove her away from her, breaking the kiss.

She stared at her in pure anger and balled her hands into fists, gritting her teeth. She was only distracted when she saw Vanille running over to the bus station on the other side of the street, obviously crying.

"Vanille! Wait!", she called out to her, but the girl only ran faster, entering the waiting bus. Fang sighed sadly when it drove off with her. She'd messed up.

No ... Rina had messed up. She turned to the woman again, who still stood there, now staring at Fang completely irritated and dumbstruck, obviously not getting what just happened.

"You...", Fang said, anger building up inside her once again.

"What's wrong?", the woman asked, still confused.

"WHAT'S WRONG? WHAT'S WRONG?", Fang repeated loudly, her fury overwhelming her as she quickly drew her right hand back as if to slap the woman in her face. The woman winced in fearful anticipation, but Fang forced her hand down again, instead balling it to a fist and hitting her own palm in furious frustration.

"You just made my date think I'm bein' unfaithful to her, THAT IS WHAT'S FUCKIN' WRONG", she screamed in pure anger to the woman, whose face lightened up in realisation before changing to a mix of fear and shame.

"I- ... I", she stammered helplessly, now understanding what damage she'd caused. "I'm sorry, Fang ... I thought you wanted this...", she said quietly after a second, looking at the ground in shame.

"It's a little late for excuses", Fang hissed in disgust. "If you'd given me a chance to react _before _kissin' me, I would've made it perfectly clear that I DON'T WANT TO", she spoke, almost screaming the last part again.

"Damn it!", she cursed in utter frustration as her fury slowly disappeared. She looked at the woman again, now much calmer, and saw tears in her eyes.

"Next time, you'll ask before kissin' someone, got that?", she demanded of the woman with a still harsh sound to her voice, though it had lessened.

Rina only nodded obediently, muttering another excuse before walking off in shame.

Fang sighed when the last remains of anger faded from her person and sadness overcame her at the thought of her little Vanille crying, most likely thinking Fang had just dropped her for another woman.

It hurt her to no end, even breaking her own heart to imagine the girl heartbroken because of her, because she hadn't been able to push Rina away from her in time.

She made her way back to the car, her head hanging low as she thought about Vanille. She took out her phone and tried to call her, but the girl didn't pick up.

As she sat in the car and started the engine, she decided the only way to make things right again was to drive home to her now and talk to her in person. She winced at the thought of getting past Lightning, who would most likely want to kill her slowly and painfully after what'd happened.

* * *

Fang let out a long sigh as she parked before Vanille's home and turned off the engine. It wouldn't be easy to go there now. Her heart raced like crazy at the thought of it. But she wouldn't back down, she had to do it. For Vanille.

She closed her eyes a moment to calm herself down before getting out of the car and approaching the house, ringing the doorbell.

As no one opened, she rang it again, clasping her sweaty hands nervously. She was just about to ring once more when the door swung open abruptly, revealing Lightning, her free hand already balled into a fist.

"What do you want?", she hissed coldly.

"I want to talk to Vanille ... please", Fang said, staring into the woman's eyes without fear. Though she quickly added the last part as she felt the nagging feeling of guilt rise up within her, making her look away from Lightning for a moment.

"Give me one reason why I should let you in. You'll only hurt her again, that's what you'll do!", Lightning spat out in disgust. She didn't notice that in the meantime, Serah had appeared behind her, watching the women silently, a worried expression on her face.

"I know it sounds stupid, but I ... I wanna explain the situation to her. What she's seen, it's ... it's not what it looked like", Fang responded, biting her lower lip in nervousness.

"Oh sure, it's never what it looked like, right?", the policewoman responded coldly, not believing one word.

She'd known it from the start. She'd known all along that Fang was only interested in bedding Vanille, and as that apparently hadn't come to happen, she'd given up on her and had looked for a new, more willing girl.

"Lightning ... please", Fang begged of the woman, her gaze more pleading than she thought it could ever be. But this matter was important to her, Vanille was important to her, and so she was willing to do whatever was necessary to convince Lightning to let her in.

"Don't call me that", Lightning hissed again, balling her fist even more, almost painfully.

"I promise I won't hurt her more if ya let me talk to her", Fang said almost desperately, her pleading gaze not leaving Lightning's.

And that's it. Lightning's eyes flickered up with pure, uncontrolled anger as she suddenly drove her fist into Fang's stomach before swiftly pulling it back, hitting her again, and again, and again.

"You dare ... promising me ... that ... again ... after already ... breaking your word ... once?", she pressed out between hits, feeling her fury flow through her entire body, empowering her. She would punish this woman for hurting Vanille like that.

Fang only stood there bent, taking in the hits she felt she deserved for what she'd let happen. And the more hits she took, the more she felt guilty as her face contorted in pain, gasps leaving her mouth while her body winced with every hit.

"Lightning, stop!", it suddenly sounded behind the policewoman and Fang opened her eyes when the hits abruptly stopped. Serah stood behind her older sister, gripping her right arm tightly.

"She's had enough, don't you think?", Serah spoke up calmly to her sister, who stood still for a moment, gathering herself. Lightning then nodded as she withdrew her fists that still hung motionless in the air.

Fang sighed in relief once Lightning had taken her hands down. She immediately moved around a little to check if the woman had broken something, if something hurt in an unusual way. But as the policewoman had mainly hit her stomach area, the only thing she felt at the moment was a feeling of nausea and the want to throw up. It already lessened, though.

"Are you okay?", Serah asked the guitarist in concern as she noticed her checking her body for damage.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. Are ya ... lettin' me in, Serah ... ?", Fang asked with an unusually shy smile, directing the question at the girl as she felt the younger Farron was more likely to let her in.

And she was right. Serah only nodded, gesturing for Fang to follow her. Lightning shot the guitarist another glare before disappearing in the living room, letting her sister take care of Fang. She hoped she wouldn't regret having complied to her sister's wish.

When the two reached the door to Vanille's room, Serah stopped abruptly, knocking on the door. "Vanille? It's Serah"

"Go away, please ... I want to be alone, Serah", came the reply from the other side. It made another part of Fang's heart break as she heard how awful Vanille's voice sounded. She must've cried a lot.

"Actually, I'm not alone. Fang's with me. She wants to talk to you", Serah explained empathetically.

There was a short silence before they could barely hear sobs reach their ears through the door. "Why isn't she with her other girl, having a good time?", it finally bitterly came back between heavy sobs.

"I'm not because I don't want her, I'm not interested in her. I'm only interested in you, Vanille. Please let me explain this to you, okay?", Fang spoke empathetically, hoping the girl would give her a chance.

"You kissed her..."

"No, she kissed me. I didn't want this, Vanille. Please, let me talk to you, please", Fang tried again, more desperately this time. She locked eyes with Serah, who seemed to be suffering almost as much as her from the looks of it.

"Okay...", there was a short silence before they heard steps and finally, the door opened, revealing Vanille. She looked as though she'd cried for hours with her reddened eyes and nose.

"Vanille...", Fang calmly said, making a step towards her. It hurt her to see the girl like this, even more so knowing she was responsible for her emotionally devastated state.

"I'll leave you guys alone", Serah quickly said and left before the two went inside the small room and Vanille closed the door behind them.

"So, explain", the redhead demanded as she sat down on her bed, taking the still soaked pillow back into her arms, hugging it to comfort herself.

Fang sat down on her desk chair and sighed. "Okay. So this woman you saw, she slept with me a few weeks ago after a concert. It was a coincidence that she walked by the moment she did, and as she recognised me, she quickly decided to invite me for a round two and kiss me without givin' me much of a chance to say no"

She made a short break, but as Vanille only stared at her, she continued. "I didn't want this, Vanille. I tried to get her off of me, but only managed to shove her away after a while. I wish it wouldn't have come to this. I really do"

"I want to believe you, really ... but ... why can't I, Fang?", Vanille finally replied as a single set of tears left her eyes, falling onto the pillow in her arms like so many more before.

"I swear to you, Vanille, I'm not even slightly interested in this woman.", Fang tried again, but Vanille only looked away from her.

_I gotta show her that I mean it_, the brunette thought with a sudden determination in her heart as she got up from the chair and strode over to Vanille, kneeling down before her.

"Vanille, the only one I am interested in is you. Remember what I told you after our last date?", she looked up at the redhead, her gaze lovingly as she stared into her reddened emerald eyes.

Hesitantly, Vanille nodded, meeting her gaze. "I said you mean somethin' to me, and that still counts as much as ever.", she said, briefly contorting her face in thought as something came to her mind.

"And if you believe I'm only interested in you for sex, then let me tell ya one thing: If it was only the sex, I would've openly asked for it right away, as I've done with every other girl I wanted just for sex before.", she continued seriously, carefully making a move and placing her hands on Vanille's knees.

The girl didn't resist, and Fang took this as a good sign. "No, with you it's much more than that. But I ... I wanna let you know that, I want you to be sure about this, that you can trust me. That I mean what I say. So ... will ya be my girlfriend, Vanille?", she then asked, a small loving smile forming on her lips as she gazed deeply into the redhead's beautiful eyes.

Any other, happier situation, and she would've laughed heartily at the utterly surprised reaction evident on the girl's face. But it was gone as quickly as it had come, being replaced by a small smile.

"R-Really? You mean it?", Vanille asked carefully, still a little suspicious.

"I do mean it. Be my girlfriend, Vanille.", Fang repeated her plea, stroking over her knees gently, her gaze full of sincerity as she continued looking into Vanille's eyes.

Even if she'd wanted to, the girl couldn't stop the little smile on her face from growing wider at the statement. And now she remembered, remembered how she'd actually seen Fang shove the woman away, breaking their kiss.

She'd completely ignored, more so banned this important part of information from her mind, it seemed. But now it had returned, and it was enough proof for her, along with Fang's words, that the woman was telling the truth.

"Okay. I believe you, Fang. And ... I'll be your girlfriend", she finally said, smiling as she put her pillow to her side and stood up. As Fang did the same, she quickly pulled her into a tight hug, pressing herself against the taller woman's collarbone, closing her eyes as she felt the last pieces of heartbrokenness leave her person.

Fang sighed in relief as she inhaled the girl's scent. "It's okay, I'm here for you", she said as she returned the hug, placing her hands on her girlfriend's back.

It felt good to hold her like this, to have made things right again. Fang closed her eyes as she held on to Vanille tightly, not wanting to let her go.

They stood like this for what seemed like an eternity before breaking apart, smiling at each other. "I'm so, so sorry that this happened", Fang spoke calmly, wiping a strand of hair from Vanille's face.

"It's alright, Fang. It was just all a big misunderstanding. I forgive you", Vanille replied softly, and Fang sighed in relief as she heard the kind words that reassured her that the redhead really wasn't angry at her anymore. A good feeling.

Vanille smiled to her as she noticed Fang's reaction before glancing at the clock. It was already quite late, and she felt fatigue overcoming her.

It certainly hadn't helped that she'd cried so much, it had tired her quite a bit.

"You look tired, love", Fang remarked, voicing Vanille's thoughts, smiling deeply.

"I am, actually. Would you be mad at me if I kicked you out now?", the girl asked with a sweet smile, holding Fang by the shoulders.

"Not at all. You just go and get some rest, sweetie. You've had a rough day", Fang smiled and leaned in to go for a deep, loving kiss. She needed to feel Vanille now.

With all that'd happened tonight, all the strong emotions, their kiss quickly grew more passionate, and Fang pulled the girl to her own body tightly, enjoying the closeness and her sweet scent that once again reached her nostrils.

She felt Vanille's hands land on her hips, holding her tightly. Overwhelmed by the passion of the moment, Fang let her hands wander down Vanille's back to her bottom, gently gripping and kneading the soft flesh.

Vanille reacted with a surprised moan into their kiss and if Fang had kept her eyes open, she would've seen the light blush that had crept on her face on top of that.

But the girl quickly managed to regain her composure, and not wanting to be outdone, she let her own hands wander to Fang's buttocks as well, mimicking what the brunette was doing to her.

Their tongues were fighting for dominance now and the kiss grew more heated by the second. Slowly, Fang felt herself losing control as her desire got the better of her and made her hands knead Vanille's bottom more roughly now.

But the brunette knew that this was definitely not the right time to be going further.

Vanille seemed to have the same thought as she slowly pulled away from Fang, breathing heavily, her face flushed.

The girl's facial expression showed a mix of uncertainty and fear but also love and desire. "N-no. Not yet", she stammered, obviously assuming Fang had wanted to take the next step.

Fang smiled softly, cupping her cheek gently with her hand. "Hey, it's alright. I was just about to stop myself when you beat me to it."

Vanille nodded but there was still this strange expression on her face. Fang decided it was probably best to clarify something - especially after all that had happened tonight - and so she took the girl's hands in hers, gazing at her in a loving but also serious way.

"You don't have to be afraid, love. I don't know if you fear what I think you do, but in any case I'd like to let ya know that I would never force myself on you.", she started, stroking over the redhead's hands.

And it was true. She certainly didn't want to make her feel bad in any way again after they'd just successfully mended their relationship minutes ago. Not only that, but she meant what she said.

"I don't have a problem with waiting for you, and you can trust me that the moment you say you don't want somethin' I will stop, promise. Okay?", she continued, trying her best to reassure her girlfriend, sincerity sparking in her jade eyes.

Vanille released a breath she hadn't realised she was holding and slowly, a soft smile returned to her face as her emerald eyes stared deeply into Fang's.

"Okay. I believe you. And thank you, Fang", she nodded and placed a peck on Fang's lips.

"That's much better", Fang approved, kissing her on the forehead in return.

"Now that that's settled, I wish ya a great night's sleep and we'll talk on the phone, yeah?", the guitarist said and Vanille nodded with a smile before leading Fang to the door of her room.

She'd just opened the door when something came to her mind. "Fang?"

"Yeah? What's up?"

"You said to me you'll soon have to go back to Eden to organise the move and everything ... when will that be, and for how long? I wondered", Vanille voiced her question, leaning against the door.

Fang scratched her head in thought. "Mh... Well, I suppose if Sazh doesn't suggest somethin' else, we'll leave Friday next week. And as for how long ... I can't really say, love. But I guess it'll only be for a few weeks, two or three maybe. I don't know"

Vanille nodded, content with the answer. "Okay. Keep me updated about this, alright?", she asked of her girlfriend, and as the woman nodded with a smile, they made their way downstairs.

"Good night, Fang", she said softly once they stood before the entrance door.

"G'night, love. I'll make sure to call ya tomorrow", the brunette almost whispered and left with a smile.

Vanille smiled contentedly as she closed the door behind Fang, only to directly be approached by Lightning, who walked around the corner with her eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"How did it go with her?", she asked, showing her mistrust openly.

Vanille smiled. "You don't have to worry, Light. Fang has explained everything to me, and ... and afterwards, she asked me to become her girlfriend! Isn't that great?", the girl told the older Farron excitedly, feeling as upbeat as ever.

Despite herself, the policewoman smiled at the happiness she saw back in Vanille's still a little reddened eyes.

"That's nice, congratulations. But still ... I'll stay on guard. And if she _ever _does something like that again, hurts you in any way, I want you to tell me immediately, okay?", Lightning said seriously, looking Vanille deeply into her eyes.

"I'll do that, I promise", the girl replied and gave Lightning a quick hug before they wished each other a good night and she disappeared upstairs.

However, Serah was still curious to learn how it went with Fang, obviously, and so Vanille heard a series of soft knocks on her door shortly after she'd entered the room.

She walked to the door, opened it and saw Serah standing there in her pyjamas, smiling at her.

"Come in", the redhead invited her in, taking a seat on her bed beside her best friend.

"So how did it go? Are you guys okay again?", Serah asked, though she had a feeling she knew the answer already, seeing how upbeat and happy Vanille appeared.

"Yes we are.", the redhead started happily before going on and telling Serah what Fang had explained to her, and also the nice words she'd said after before asking her to be her girlfriend.

Needless to say, Serah almost screamed at the fantastic news and only managed to restrain herself because she knew very well that Lightning, who'd gone to bed by now, would most likely kill her for waking her.

"I'm so happy for you, Vanille! Really, this is just _so _great!", Serah said after she'd calmed herself down a little, smiling from ear to ear.

"But I guess now being her girlfriend doesn't make it easier for you that she's leaving for a while, huh?", Serah asked empathetically after a short silence, gazing at her best friend.

"No, it certainly doesn't... Actually, I wish I could go with her, you know", Vanille said, clasping her hands, her face suddenly having a dreamy feature to it as she stared into the room before slowly tilting her head again to lock eyes with Serah.

"I understand. When does she have to leave for Eden again, by the way? And for how long?", the younger Farron inquired curiously.

"She said they'll most likely go next Friday, though she couldn't exactly say for how long.", Vanille repeated what Fang had told her earlier.

Suddenly, Serah twitched a little and her face lightened up as if she was realising something. "But ... that's _perfect_! If she leaves then, you _can _actually go with her! Why don't you ask her? I'm sure she'll agree!", the girl suggested happily.

Vanille frowned. "But Serah! What about my studies? Not going there for a few weeks until Fang moves here is not an option", Vanille remarked.

"Wow, you've surely been distracted a lot by Fang recently, huh? Our semester break starts right at the end of next week, silly!", Serah reminded Vanille with a crooked smile.

The redhead could only open her mouth in surprise and arch her eyebrows at this. Could it really be that she, the always so neatly organised student, had forgotten about something so important? Serah must be right, she had_ really_ been distracted a lot by Fang lately.

Vanille scratched her head, blushing a little. "Now that you mention it ... yeah, I remember. I had really completely forgotten that it's already next week", Vanille admitted, feeling a little embarrassed.

Serah could only giggle. "Hey, it's ok! It's kinda cute, honestly.", the pink-haired girl reassured her friend.

"And you think I should just go and ask her if I can go with her? Don't you think this is a little ... I don't know ... too forward?", Vanille wanted to know, apparently still doubting the idea.

Serah found herself frowning a little at this. This was just _so _Vanille to be worried about asking a simple, harmless question. What could possibly go wrong? She was sure Fang wouldn't eternally hate Vanille for asking her that, should she not want her to accompany her to Eden.

"Come on, Vanille! Just ask her. Even if she doesn't want it for some reason, she won't kill you for asking a simple question!", Serah voiced her thoughts, trying to encourage her friend.

"To be honest, if I were Fang, I'd find it quite thoughtful and cute of you. After all, you're basically telling her with that idea that you like her so much that you want to spend your holiday with her, you know!"

"And don't forget that she's your girlfriend now!", she added. "How could she say no to her _girlfriend_?"

Vanille smiled. Serah had a point, again. It wasn't the first time the younger Farron had been right about being more optimistic considering Fang. Maybe it was really about time Vanille became a little more optimistic herself as well. It would certainly make everything a lot easier.

"I guess you're right ... thank you Serah"

"Hey, no problem. I'm your friend, that's what I'm here for!", the girl answered while getting up from the bed, yawning.

"Anyway, it must be really late already. We better go to bed and get some sleep, okay?", Serah asked tiredly, rubbing her eyes.

"Sure, good night and thanks again for your support, Serah", Vanille hugged her friend tightly before the younger Farron quietly returned to her room.

Vanille found herself smiling contentedly as she lay down some minutes later and closed her eyes. Serah was right. She would ask Fang if she could come with her to Eden right the next day.

And if her girlfriend agreed, then Vanille knew she could look forward to probably one of her best holidays ever because she would be spending it with the woman that managed to make her feel so good and so happy even with her presence alone. After all that had happened today, she now knew this truth more clearly, more certainly than ever.

* * *

Fang sighed. She had spent the whole Sunday afternoon browsing the internet for apartments in Bodhum that she wanted to take a look at as soon as possible.

She had actually found quite a few that were interesting enough to be worth a visit but it had taken her several hours, and now she felt exhaustion overcoming her as she decided to take a shower to relax a little.

After she was done, she wrapped a towel around her body and dried her hair quickly before taking her phone with her to the bed. She let herself fall on the mattress with a loud thud before dialling Vanille's number.

It didn't take the girl long at all to pick up. "Hey sweetie, it's me. How are ya today?"

"Great, especially now that you're calling!", Vanille answered with a cute giggle.

Fang found herself smiling. _Always the cutie_.

"How's the search for an apartment going?", the girl wanted to know, reminding Fang of what she'd been doing all afternoon.

"Quite alright, actually", Fang chuckled. "I've found some nice places on the internet today. I'll go and take a look at them as soon as possible.", she stated.

"Great, hope it works out for you!", Vanille said and you could hear her smiling happily even through the phone.

"By the way, Fang? There's something I've been wanting to ask you all day. In fact, I've just waited for your call", Vanille said, her voice with a faint tone of nervousness to it, just as if she was trying to hide it.

"Sure, just ask away", Fang responded in her usual nonchalant manner.

"See ... the thing is, I had an idea... well, actually it was Serah's idea and, well-", Vanille stammered and she was so happy right now that Fang wasn't able to see her blush through the phone.

"Just ask, sweetheart. Whatever it is, I won't kill ya. Promise", Fang chuckled. She couldn't help but find the girl's sudden nervousness adorable and a tad bit amusing.

Vanille giggled uneasily. "Okay. Well, the thing is that my semester break starts on Friday and as this is also the day you said you'll have to leave for Eden, you know, I thought ...", Vanille started self-consciously.

"I wanted to ask you if I can join you.", she finally pressed out, biting her lip.

Fang arched her eyebrows in surprise, but it was gone as quickly as it had come, being replaced by a broad smile.

"Wow, I didn't expect that", she started, voicing her surprise at the sudden, unexpected suggestion.

"Oh. You don't want me to? I would understand, you know...", Vanille immediately blurted out self-consciously.

"No, no no! I didn't say that, sweetie. If you hadn't just interrupted me, I would've told you that I really like the idea. In fact, we've just fixed Friday as departure day today, so I'd love you to come with me. We'll just have to ask the band if you can travel with us, but I guess it shouldn't be a problem", she replied with a soft voice.

"Really? Oh that's sooo great!", Vanille exclaimed, apparently back to her upbeat self.

"Yeah, I think it's a fortunate coincidence that your semester break starts right the day I gotta leave.", Fang said, her smile not leaving her face for a second.

"Yep. Etro, this will be so awesome! I'm already looking forward to this sooo much!", Vanille voiced her excitement, feeling her heart practically jump in her chest.

After that, they continued talking for another hour about this and that, just enjoying each other's company, even if it was only over the phone. It was quite late when they rang off eventually, both losing themselves in thoughts and imaginations about their time in Eden together.


	10. Chapter 10

**AN:** Hey guys! Here's the next chapter. I know it has taken me a bit longer than usual to update, but sometimes life just gets in the way :)

I hope you like it, it's quite fluffy again, haha. I just couldn't stop myself :P

Have fun reading and leave a review if you like!

* * *

_Chapter Ten_

As it turned out, organising the trip back to Eden with the guys and Vanille didn't involve Fang as much as she would've thought and so she had much time to make appointments with real estate agents to view some apartments in Bodhum in the days before their departure.

And she was content and also felt a bit of relief as she finally found one that suited her needs and expectations. She had a good feeling about this, everything just went according to plan.

Now, it was finally Friday, the day of their departure, and as they had agreed to drive to Vanille's house and pick her up there with their tour bus, they were currently on their way to her home.

Fang couldn't help but be almost overly excited about all of this. She grinned to herself as she noticed how she felt so much like a child that eagerly awaited to finally receive its Christmas presents. It was exactly the same kind of excitement and she loved it right now.

She noticed the bus stopping all of a sudden and as she glanced out of the window, she saw they had in fact already arrived at Vanille's home.

Fang looked around a bit and saw no reporters or anyone waiting outside, which caused her to lift her brows in question. She was sure the driver had made no attempts to shake anyone off - and even if so it would've been nearly impossible to lose pursuers with a huge bus - so why had no one followed them?

"I sent out another fake tour bus as a decoy for the press before we drove off so that they don't find out just yet where your girlfriend lives. Saves her and her family a little trouble, I supposed. And as it seems my little trick worked", Sazh said to Fang, chuckling, which made the brunette smile herself and nod in thanks.

"Yeah, that's pretty cool. I'll better go and get her, then", Fang said to the others, smirking lazily. She quickly got out of the car and approached the house before ringing the doorbell.

* * *

"Have you got everything?", Serah nervously asked as Vanille went through her checklist for probably the twentieth time today.

"I guess so..", she said slowly, her gaze still on the sheet of paper in her hands.

"Then let's get your stuff downstairs, come on", Serah urged her friend, who folded the sheet and put it away, before they took the quite heavy bag down the stairs together.

"What the hell Vanille, what have you got in there? Stones? Or gold bars?", Serah asked breathlessly as they put down the bag with a heavy thud.

Vanille could only giggle. Serah was right, it was really quite heavy. "Well, I just made sure that I've got everything important with me, you see", she smiled.

"I'll be in Eden for quite some weeks, I don't want to miss anything there!"

Serah smiled warmly. "Sure, everything must be perfect, huh?", she winked and Vanille nodded enthusiastically.

The girl cast another glance at the clock. Fang would be here in about five minutes if she was on time.

"Well, guess Fang should be here any minute now, so we better say goodbye for now. I'll call you as soon as we're there and I find the time, okay?", Vanille said while drawing Serah into a tight hug.

Serah couldn't help but grin impishly. "Sure, if you're not too _distracted_ to call. But I would understand". She put extra suggestive emphasis on the word 'distracted'.

"Serah!", Vanille exclaimed and playfully smacked her shoulder.

But Serah's grin, now more purely suggestive than impish, was still there as they broke apart again, gazing into each other's eyes.

"Oh come on, as if you guys won't do it", she winked, smirking widely.

Maybe it wasn't so bad for the immensely blushing and obviously embarrassed Vanille that right in that moment, Lightning walked down the hallway, approaching the girls to say goodbye to Vanille.

Just when Lightning came to a stand in front of the girl and opened her mouth to say something, she was rudely interrupted by the doorbell.

The older Farron's gaze immediately shot to the entrance door, and there was a frown visible on her face for the better part of a second before she quickly hid it again so as to not ruin Vanille's mood.

"Well, this must be your girlfriend, so I'll make it quick.", Lightning said calmly as she drew Vanille into a firm embrace.

"I hope you have a good time with her, and you know that you can call me at _any_ time if you need help or if anything's not alright, okay?", Lightning told Vanille seriously before they broke apart again.

This wasn't the first time she was saying this to the girl. She had done so more than once during the last days.

Because even though Vanille had reassured her everything was alright again with Fang, Lightning was still suspicious towards the self-confident brunette. The thing was simply that she did not trust her. And as far as Lightning was considered, Fang had to really prove all over again that she was a trustworthy person.

Vanille was a kind of second sister to the older Farron, and therefore, the policewoman felt the need to be on alert all the time, ready to come and protect Vanille if the need should arise.

"I know, Light. Thank you and I will do so if it should become necessary", Vanille answered thankfully. She had a feeling it wouldn't become necessary, though.

But she wanted to let Lightning know she appreciated the offer and that she could rely on her using it should anything go the wrong way with Fang.

"You should probably be going and answer the door, she's waiting for you", Lightning remarked with a quick glance over to the door a few metres behind Vanille.

The redhead nodded before quickly turning to her best friend once more.

"Just go already! Lightning is right, Fang will be waiting!", Serah urged her, gesturing wildly towards the door.

"You're right", Vanille answered, feeling utterly unused to this situation. She'd never been on holiday with someone else than Light and Serah.

But her best friend was right, she shouldn't be wasting time now. So she quickly hugged both Lightning and Serah again before going to the door with the Farron sisters closely behind her.

As she opened it, she found Fang standing there, smiling at her as their gazes met.

"Hey love. You ready to go?", she bluntly asked, pointing at the tour bus on the street behind her.

"Yep! Let's go! I could just need some help with carrying my bag, it's quite heavy.."

"No problem, I'll take it", Fang said before walking inside, straight to the bag and picking it up effortlessly, which earned her surprised gazes from both Serah and Vanille.

The brunette stopped in the doorway, turning around to her girlfriend.

"Alright, I'll be in touch once we arrive in Eden and I have a minute!", Vanille repeated her earlier promise to the Farrons.

Lightning only nodded with a faint smile on her lips before shooting a brief but nevertheless powerful reminding gaze towards Fang. The message was clear: hurt her and I will hurt you.

Serah, on the other hand, used the opportunity to give Vanille another hug before wishing her a great time.

After that, Vanille and Fang went to the tour bus together and the guitarist stored the girl's bag in the trunk before they got into the car.

"Guys, this is Vanille. You might remember her from the last autograph session", Fang introduced her girlfriend quickly before Vanille sat down and the guitarist went to the front of the large bus to tell the driver they were ready to leave.

The drive to Eden wasn't as boring as one might imagine as they had a lot to talk about and everyone was eager to get to know the girl that had managed to make Fang fall in love with her seemingly without much effort.

Needless to say, Vanille felt both overly nervous and excited because she was talking to the members of her favourite band and was getting to know them as the normal average people they were offstage.

This was an opportunity so many fans of them hoped for and she, of all people, was sitting here in a big, comfortable bus with them, speaking to them as if it was completely normal for her to do so.

She had a great time, and therefore she was slightly surprised when they arrived in Eden after five hours. It had felt like merely two to her.

As Fang's apartment was closest, they drove there first. It wasn't long until the driver stopped and parked right in front of the skyscraper where the guitarist's apartment was located. Outside, you could already see a bunch of reporters eagerly awaiting them, as well as many fans, a lot of them dressed in Fighting Fate merchandise.

Having been informed of their arrival time beforehand, police was also there and had quickly cordoned off a small area between bus and building for their safety.

Before leaving the bus, Sazh told Fang they would have a lot of planning to do for their move on Monday and that he would expect her to arrive at their workplace at eight before wishing her and Vanille a great weekend.

After that was settled, the two girlfriends left the bus, accompanied by two bodyguards. It made Vanille stare in wonder once they stepped outside and she laid eyes upon the crowd of fans and reporters and saw the flashing lights of the cameras as photos of them were taken while fans - mostly girls - screamed excitedly, so loud it almost hurt the girl's ears.

She merely had a second to take it all in, though, as Fang hastily dragged her with her towards the skyscraper, the women followed closely by the two bulky bodyguards with their luggage.

Police took care to hold back anyone who tried to get closer to them as allowed, but most if not all people accepted the clearly indicated line by the barrier tape and didn't try anything.

* * *

Vanille was astonished when they entered the building. It looked _very_ expensive to live here, she could judge that already from the looks of the entrance hall. Hell, there were even two guards at the door!

They got inside the elevator and went up to floor fifteen. Fang led her through the corridor until she stopped in front of a door and opened it. She nodded to her bodyguards, gesturing for them to drop the luggage right there for her to take care of. The guards did as told and were dismissed by the woman afterwards.

And Vanille found herself even more amazed than she'd already been at the sight of the skyscraper's entrance hall as she entered the apartment with her girlfriend.

Now that she saw Fang's standard of living, she imagined it must've been quite hard for her to look for a comparable place in Bodhum, even though Vanille knew they had luxurious apartments and houses there as well, though not as many as in Eden.

But as Fang had told her on the way to the capital city she'd found a place in Bodhum already, this was certainly nothing the girl had to worry about any longer.

However, she found herself wondering how Fang could afford to live here, seeing that the band had only been successful and famous for about a year. But then again she didn't know how much they'd earned in that time span. They obviously had a huge crowd of fans, she was well aware of that, so surely they must be quite wealthy after all these months.

She followed Fang down the short entrance area until they stood in a big room which was apparently the living room.

"Wow", Vanille could only say at the sight of the room. There was a comfortable-looking couch in the middle and a big TV right before the wall she was facing.

"You like it?", Fang asked with a slightly amused smirk.

"Of course I do! It's amazing", Vanille stated truthfully, her astonishment to all of this blatantly obvious in her voice as she wandered around a little in the room.

She liked the way Fang had had her room decorated. It was a very simple and plain design. There were not many things in the room but it was just the right amount that it did neither look empty nor too full with furniture.

The walls were a bright clean white while the ground was wooden, and left and right of the wall with the TV before it there were big windows that allowed her a sneak peek on the terrace.

Vanille turned around a little. There was a door to her left and one to her right and she discovered the kitchen and the small dining area on her right behind her.

She turned back to Fang as she heard the woman noisily clear her throat behind her.

"Now that I got your attention back", she chuckled a little, "I'll let you know that there's only one bed here, so I hope you don't mind sharin'. It's a double bed, though, so there's more than enough room for two people", she explained, smirking a little.

"But for now, I'll take our bags to the bedroom", she pointed to the door on the left, "and you can unpack your stuff and store it wherever you want. There's enough room in the closets for all your stuff, even though I still suspect you got half your house in here", Fang grinned before she carried the bag into said bedroom.

Vanille could only giggle at this. And somehow, Fang was right. She had really taken a lot of things with her.

She decided she wanted to look around a bit first. The unpacking could wait, she wanted to explore this great penthouse apartment Fang called her home.

"Can I look around a bit?", she called out.

"Sure, sweetie", Fang replied from the bedroom.

And so Vanille did, starting with the kitchen and dining area behind her she'd already looked at briefly moments ago.

It was a modern kitchen with granite counters. She also liked the dining table which was out of some bright wood and had a modern style to it as well.

There were chairs for six people and Vanille immediately imagined how the band would probably sit here sometimes and have dinner together or throw a party.

Turning away from the kitchen again, her curiosity quickly drew her to the door to her right and as she went inside the yet unknown room, she gasped in surprise. This, apparently, was Fang's workroom.

There were two guitars hanging on the wall before her she had never seen Fang playing live or in videos so she concluded these were the ones she only used for practising at home.

As Fang had also two guitars Vanille had seen her using on stage, that meant she had at least four guitars the girl knew about now.

_Quite impressive_, she thought, only now wondering why she hadn't seen Fang take any of her other two guitars up to the apartment with her. But she probably stored them in their studio, the girl figured.

She turned around a little in the rather big room and saw a computer on a desk to her right as well as some other sound equipment, obviously for her job as well.

When she had taken everything in, she left the room again and decided to have a look at the bedroom which was behind the left door in the living room.

And she sighed in content when she entered the room and saw the big, very comfortable-looking bed she would be sleeping in.

There was a door to another room which must be the bathroom. She neared the open door and found Fang inside, currently busy putting her toothbrush and toothpaste to their respective places.

The brunette turned around when she saw Vanille in the mirror. "So, have ya explored everything?", she asked with a smirk.

"Yep! It's great. You must be sad that you'll have to leave this place soon". The girl leaned in the doorway casually, smiling.

"I am a bit, yeah. But it's alright, the place I've chosen in Bodhum will be just as good as this, I'm sure of it.", Fang replied.

"It certainly will be", Vanille said before going back into the bedroom, followed by Fang.

"So ... I've unpacked everything now. You should maybe do the same, love.", the woman suggested and Vanille was startled when suddenly, her girlfriend almost sprinted the short distance to the bed and let herself fall on it with a loud thud before sighing in content.

"Ahh... I've missed this! Nothing beats sleeping in your own bed", she sighed as she lay on her back, just enjoying herself.

Vanille giggled as she went over to her bag and opened it before she began unpacking her things, occasionally asking Fang where to put it best.

When she asked her girlfriend another question after about an hour of unpacking, however, she didn't receive a reply. It made her smile lovingly when she turned around and saw Fang soundly asleep.

She had an utterly peaceful expression on her face. Her hands were folded on her stomach and her chest heaved in the slow rhythm that was her breathing.

Vanille hadn't imagined that seeing the woman sleep would look so gorgeous, and she felt a deep peace and calm within herself, too, the longer she stared at the sleeping form of Fang.

The redhead was pulled out of the beautiful moment, however, when she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket.

She wasn't surprised when she saw that Serah had written her a text message, asking if they'd already arrived and how she was doing.

As Fang was asleep anyway, she decided now was a good moment to call Serah and give her the update she was probably dying for.

She silently left the bedroom, sat down on Fang's couch and dialled Serah's number.

The friends spent a good hour talking to each other before they rang off, wishing each other a good night. Having felt the need to do so, Vanille hadn't forgotten to tell Serah to inform Lightning she was alright and was having a great time with Fang.

Vanille sighed when she put her phone back in her pocket. It was already eight and she wondered if she should wake Fang up so they could spend the rest of the evening together. It was probably for the better.

She entered the bedroom again before walking to Fang slowly and almost in a sneaking manner.

"Faang?", she almost whispered while poking her on the shoulder lightly. No reaction.

She tried again. "FAANG?", she said, more loudly this time while poking her again, harder and more firmly.

But Fang only stirred a little, muttering something.

Vanille shook her head. So Fang was apparently not a light sleeper. But what was she going to do about it? She couldn't hit her to make her wake up, could she? No, that wasn't right.

Her face lightened up, however, when an idea hit her. This was probably quite a rude way to wake someone as well, but better than hitting her.

She'd already done this a few times with Serah in the past, sometimes accompanied by some tickling, and it had served its purpose well enough.

Vanille sighed before she stepped back a little and ran towards the bed full force, pouncing on Fang who immediately opened her eyes in shock, only to see Vanille sitting on her.

"What the...?", she asked sleepily.

The girl giggled. "I tried to wake you, but it didn't work! So I tried this rather ... unconventional method.", she explained, shrugging her shoulders in an apologetic manner.

Fang, slowly feeling more awake, could only smirk before shaking her head in disbelief. This was just too cute.

"Yeah, I'm sometimes hard to wake", she chuckled.

Vanille smiled, leaning down and giving her a peck on the lips.

Just as she drew away again, she was taken by surprise herself, however, when Fang decided to go for a deep kiss, dragging her down to her again immediately.

Once their lips made contact, she wasted no time, sliding her tongue into Vanille's waiting mouth quickly to intensify the kiss.

Vanille placed her hands beside Fang's head, one entangling in her messy hair while the other found its way to her girlfriend's cheek, holding her softly.

They were kissing for some more moments before they broke apart, both smiling at the other.

"So, now that you're obviously fully awake - do you want to watch some TV?", Vanille asked a little cheekily.

"Sure, I'd like that. How late is it, anyway?", Fang asked, rubbing her eyes.

"It's a little after eight", Vanille replied after she'd crawled down from Fang to let her get up.

They went back into the living room and watched some action movie Fang had a DVD of at home.

While they were watching, they could see the sun slowly disappear through the big windows beside the TV - it was a fantastic sight.

It was already past ten when the movie was over and Vanille persuaded Fang to go outside onto the apartment's terrace for a little while and just enjoy the warm summer night together before going to bed.

Vanille sighed contentedly as they stood there and stared down at Eden. The buildings were lit brightly and if you looked a little further, you were still able to see the very last sunrays disappearing behind the horizon.

It seemed like aeons passed as the two girlfriends just took it all in, no one saying a single word - it would've just disturbed the special moment they had right now, right there.

The silence was only interrupted when Vanille yawned tiredly.

Fang couldn't help but chuckle. "Guess it's time for you to go to bed, huh?"

Vanille smacked her on her shoulder playfully. "Fang!"

The brunette laughed even harder at the reaction. "What?"

An impish smile found its way on Vanille's lips. "_I_ wasn't the one to fall asleep on the bed earlier", she pointed out.

The brunette smiled sheepishly. "Guess so, yeah ... well played, sweetie"

"But you're right, I am tired. Let's go and hit the sac", Vanille suggested, followed by another yawn.

So they went inside and prepared for bed. Vanille, wearing her favourite blue pyjamas, was the first to lie down and closed her eyes.

It wasn't long until she heard the bathroom door close and some moments later, she felt Fang's presence behind her - directly behind her.

Fang shifted a little until she was with her front against Vanille's back and could wrap her arm around the girl's abdomen.

Unused to such close contact and totally caught off guard, not expecting the action from her girlfriend, Vanille tensed immediately.

"You alright there, love?", Fang asked concernedly as she felt her stiffen.

"I- I don't know ... I'm not used to ... lying in bed like this with someone", she said, her voice shaky.

But after a moment passed by and she got accustomed to it, she felt herself relaxing again, beginning to enjoy the closeness, the warm body right behind her. And ... the feeling of Fang's breasts pressing against her back.

"If you don't want it, tell me and I'll back off. I said I won't force myself on you in any way.", Fang replied calmly before placing a soft kiss on the girl's neck.

Vanille blushed now as she felt herself getting increasingly turned on by the bodily contact with Fang and she even had to stifle a relishing sigh when she felt her kiss her neck. But she brushed these feelings aside for now.

"No, it's alright. It just took me by surprise and this is all new to me, so I felt a bit strange at first.", Vanille explained herself while placing her hand on Fang's that rested on her stomach.

"Please stay, it feels good", she said softly and stroked over the brunette's hand.

"Then that's what I do", Fang smiled and placed another two quick kisses on the girl's neck.

"Good night Vanille", she whispered into her ear.

"Good night, Fang", the girl replied and gently pressed against her girlfriend before drifting off into a deep sleep.


	11. Chapter 11

**AN:** Here's the next chapter for you, guys!

Also, I'd like to inform you that due to a reviewer pointing out that I've quite ignored the fact Fang's famous in many parts of the story (and the consequences this has for her everyday life), I've made some changes to several chapters to take her fame into account more. It's neither too much nor too major, just some small details added here and there, or a small situation. I think this was necessary to make the story, and Fang's life as a rockstar, more believable. Thanks go to FalconTytus for pointing this out!

You can find changes in the following chapters: _4, 7, 9_ and _10_.

As I said, it's nothing too major, for example in Chapter 4 it's simply two sentences stating that Fang's accompanied by bodyguards on her way to the first date and gets picked up after by the band's chauffeur. So I think you don't really need to read the chapter again for this. In chapter 7 you'll find that the beach is cordoned off now so that their second date goes without interruptions by fans/paparazzi, and Fang also makes an effort before on her way to Vanille to successfully shake off any pursuers. Chapter 9 has a situation added between Fang and a paparazzo, and I took the slap out of it because I didn't find it fitting anymore. Finally, in chapter 10 they are greeted by a crowd of fans and reporters as they return to Eden. This is what I changed in a nutshell, for those of you who want to get an idea if they want to/need to read the chapters in question again. It's not necessary but of course helps a little understanding Fang's life as a rockstar and getting into the atmosphere.

As always, you can tell me in the reviews what you think about these changes I made and of course also about the next chapter. And now, enjoy! :)

* * *

_Chapter Eleven_

Vanille awoke when she heard Fang stirring and getting up beside her in the morning. She sleepily opened her eyes.

Her gaze was still a bit blurred but it quickly became clearer and she could see Fang walk towards the bathroom, not noticing her.

Only a short distance from the door, her girlfriend stopped, however, and turned to the wardrobe to her right, opening it and looking for clothes.

Vanille couldn't help but stare - Fang stood there now with her back to her and only in her black underwear.

The girl hadn't had the opportunity when they'd prepared for bed to take in the sight as she'd already lain down and closed her eyes while Fang had changed, so it seemed she was eager to make up for that now as she wandered Fang's muscular body with her eyes.

She was truly beautiful, Vanille couldn't - and wouldn't - deny that. Staring a little longer, she wondered how it would feel to touch her body, all of it. Not only what they'd done so far.

The girl couldn't help but imagine how it would be to stroke her breasts or how different it might feel to touch her bottom not only through her jeans like last time but when it was only the naked, soft flesh.

Vanille was quickly drawn out of her sexual fantasies when all of a sudden, Fang turned around.

"Good morning sweetheart! Like what ya see?", she said with a suggestive wink, smirking widely.

Vanille immediately blushed a deep red and helplessly dragged the blanket over her head in embarrassment.

"I- I ... ehm ...", she stammered from under the blanket which muffled it a bit and made the whole thing look rather comical.

Fang chuckled as she put her clothes on the bed before crawling on the mattress, poking Vanille's little form softly through the blanket that covered all of her.

"Oh come on, love, nothing to be ashamed about! I certainly don't mind you starin', on the contrary", she said while lying down beside her girlfriend, propping her head on her hand.

"You should just take care that your eyes don't fall out in the process", she added impishly.

It seemed this didn't really help to make the girl feel less embarrassed as she only whimpered desperately and turned away from Fang while covering her ears under the blanket.

Fang found herself chuckling yet again at the cute reaction of the girl before her. However, she found it was time to get her girlfriend out of her blanket cave again and as she'd probably not achieve that through continuing with her cheeky comments, she tried something else.

Leaning forward with a devilish smile playing around her lips, she quickly lifted the blanket, snaked her hand under it and attached it to the girl's hip. Then she started tickling her.

"Hey!", she heard Vanille's muffled protest as the girl helplessly wound, trying to get out of Fang's grip. But there was no use, the brunette was just the stronger one of them.

"Hahaha- Faaaaang- haha- stooop!", she managed to press out between waves of laughter.

"I'll stop if ya come outta there, love", Fang said, not letting up the tickling for one moment. Oh, she was enjoying this.

"Okay, okay, hahaha, I- I give in!", Vanille laughed breathlessly and thank Etro, Fang stopped finally.

The girl lifted the blanket from her head and turned around to Fang while still trying to catch her breath. The tickling had really exhausted her.

Fang smirked. "As I said, it's alright to look. This is all only yours now, so of course you can stare as much as ya like"

A big part of Vanille had hoped Fang wouldn't go back to the embarrassing topic. The girl couldn't help but feel uncomfortable all over again and seeing no other way to avoid further embarrassment, she tried to turn away from her girlfriend again as she felt her face become hot with an impending blush.

But Fang noticed and caught her by the wrist. "Ah, ah. You stay here, love", she said calmly and quickly drew her into a tight hug.

After some moments, Vanille began to relax again and Fang stroked over her back gently. "Okay?", she asked the girl in her arms.

Vanille nodded. "Okay", she agreed and they slowly broke apart again.

"Good.", Fang said with a faint smile before getting up again, picking up her clothes in the process.

"Then I'll go and take a shower now", she said and disappeared in the bathroom.

Soon after, the girl heard the water flowing and decided it was time to get up finally. When she glanced at the clock she was surprised that it was already eleven thirty.

She quickly changed into some comfortable clothes, namely sweatpants and a t-shirt, then sat down on the bed and waited for Fang to finish showering so she could go and brush her teeth.

It didn't take her long. Vanille found herself staring for the second time this morning as Fang came out of the bathroom wrapped only into a towel that barely covered her bottom and breasts.

She smirked when she caught her staring, and this time, Vanille did not avert her gaze in shame.

She even had to smirk a little herself when she saw that the brunette held her clothes in her hand. It was clear as crystal that she could've just put them on in the bathroom, why else should she have taken them inside with her?

But apparently, Fang had had another idea - she wanted to tease her.

"You're doing that on purpose, aren't you?", Vanille voiced her thoughts while pointing at the clothes in Fang's hand as the brunette came closer, still smirking.

"Maybe, maybe not ..", the guitarist only replied with a wink before putting down the clothes.

"You wanna watch, darlin'?", she teased her yet again, gesturing that she wanted to change now.

"I was just waiting for you to finish so I could brush my teeth. I- ... I better go now!", Vanille quickly replied in embarrassment and practically rushed inside the bathroom to hide the emerging blush on her face at the dirty thoughts Fang's 'offer' had evoked in her.

This was just still very new and unfamiliar to her, especially these thoughts that kept getting more frequent since they'd shared this particularly lustful kiss she'd interrupted out of fear.

The fear was still there, but she noticed it was slowly becoming weaker and being replaced with desire and want more and more - the feelings that, it seemed, were only now really unleashed from within her as she started feeling more and more secure and at ease with Fang while her trust in the woman grew stronger steadily, step by step.

Meanwhile, she had finished brushing her teeth and went to the kitchen to find Fang, humming contentedly.

She stopped when she reached the kitchen and saw her girlfriend quickly hiding a sheet of paper, which made Vanille arch her eyebrow in question.

"What was that?", she asked, irritated as to why Fang hid the paper from her so quickly. Or did she just imagine that and the brunette had just coincidentally put it away just the moment she'd reached the kitchen?

"Oh, nothing, love. Just another fan letter. Some of them are quite stupid, annoyin' even, ya know", Fang quickly responded, forcing a smile on her lips as she turned and opened the fridge. "Sandwich?"

Vanille arched her eyebrow again at this strange reaction. She wasn't quite sure if Fang had told her the truth, her answer had just seemed so ... odd. But the girl couldn't put her finger on what actually bothered her, and so she dismissed it for now, calming herself. Surely, everything was alright. And even if not, Fang would tell her if it was something important. Right?

* * *

"Anything specific you wanna do today?", Fang asked as they ate their sandwiches.

"Why don't you show me some interesting places here in Eden?", Vanille suggested, curious to learn about Eden's popular places.

She'd read a thing or two about some of them in a women's magazine and had been amazed at the time - perhaps Fang would take her to one of these fancy places.

"Hm okay, we can do that. I'll show you around a little bit", Fang agreed and they finished eating before changing and leaving the apartment.

They took the elevator down to the basement where the underground car park of the building was and Fang led Vanille to her car.

"Wow", it slipped the girl out when they stopped in front of a fancy sports car.

"How could you afford something like that?", she wondered, scratching her head as she got inside.

"Actually, I couldn't. I'm paying it in monthly rates, to be honest. It would've been a bit much to pay everything all at once.", Fang admitted before buckling up and starting the engine which roared loudly.

"I see.", Vanille nodded. "So where do you plan to bring me?"

"I thought the Eden Central Park is a good first place to show you, especially since the weather's so nice today. I think you'll love it there", she smiled as she drove the car out of the underground car park.

After some minutes of driving through the traffic chaos that was so normal on a Saturday afternoon in and around Eden's city centre, Fang parked the car in a car park near Eden Central Park and they went there together.

Judging from the fascinated expression on Vanille's face, Fang had been right to assume she would love it in the park.

And truly, it was a great sight, as they stood in one of its entrances and had a nice view on the wide grass fields before them, the trees here and there that were all surrounded by people enjoying the shadow they provided, and there were small ways leading you through the big park.

"I didn't think it was such a ... a big park when you told me about it", Vanille said in awe as they began walking down the way, holding hands.

"Yeah, it's really large.", Fang agreed, "But it has to be. As you can see, quite a lot of people come here especially on a sunny weekend. So, they kept expanding the park more and more to make room for additional visitors", she explained.

"That's cool! We have parks in Bodhum as well, but not anything anywhere near as big as this. But then again, many people prefer going to the beach to visiting parks", Vanille reacted and immediately, images of the usually crowded beach of Bodhum on a nice summer day came to her mind.

"It's different, I guess. Here, the people are happy to have the park because there's not much left of good old Mother Nature anywhere else in the city. In Bodhum it's not that way, especially because of the beach - that's at least the impression I had"

"Yep, pretty much correct, I'd say!", Vanille agreed happily.

"So, you wanna see some cute ducks? There's a large lake here in the park not even far from our position", Fang suggested with a smirk. She had a feeling Vanille was the type of girl who was fond of animals, and hell, even Fang herself adored the ducks of Eden Park.

"Ducks? Fang, I absolutely _love_ ducks! How did you know?", Vanille giggled excitedly.

Fang chuckled. "Ah, just a hunch."

Shortly after, they reached the lake and went closer to watch the ducks. Vanille felt like a young child all over again and a big smile plastered her face while they just stood there and watched the animals swim in the lake.

"This is so very cute, you know! Sometimes I wish we had a small pond at home with ducks in it, just so that I could watch them every day!", Vanille exclaimed when they slowly left the lake again and wandered about the park.

The statement warmed Fang's heart. It made her feel good to see Vanille having a good time herself and she smiled widely as they took in the beautiful scenery of the park a little while longer before leaving it eventually.

By now, the wonderful afternoon had made Fang forget about the alarming letter she'd received only this morning. At least for now. But she knew she'd have to take a minute later to quickly call Sazh and tell him about this, without Vanille becoming suspicious.

It was already late afternoon now, and as they were getting hungry, Fang decided to take Vanille to her favourite sushi restaurant.

Lucky for her, Vanille liked it just as much as she did, though it was hilarious for both of them at first as she desperately tried to use the chopsticks properly. But with some instructions from Fang, she learned quickly.

"So, anything else you wanna do today?", Fang asked as they approached her car.

"Honestly, it was a great day and I'd really like to do some more but right now, I'm feeling so totally exhausted!", Vanille said regretfully.

"No problem. There are still more than enough days to explore the city and have fun", Fang responded while helping Vanille get in the car before getting in herself and starting the engine.

They drove home in a comfortable silence and as they were back in the apartment, the first thing Vanille did was taking a long shower. This was a perfect opportunity for Fang to make her call, and so she did, quickly informing Sazh of the letter, trying to hide the concern she felt about this.

Surely, she wasn't one to be easily concerned by anything - far from it - and if this were the first time, she would just dismiss it with a chuckle, not taking it seriously. But this had happened before. And now, she did take it seriously. She didn't think it was a joke or anything like it anymore.

Sazh felt the same, and he told her they'd have to figure something out as soon as they would meet again on Monday.

With that, they quickly ended their call because there wasn't really much they could do now anyway. Fang then started playing her guitar some so as to clear her mind of the topic.

* * *

When Vanille was done showering, she quickly dried her hair and she was just about to put on her clothes when a smirk came to her face. _Oh no, it's time to tease back a little._

And with that, she wrapped herself in a towel that left just enough of her body exposed. She dropped her clothes on the bed for now before walking through the living room towards the workroom from where she could hear Fang practising.

She opened the door and entered with only a hint of a devious smile on her face.

Fang immediately stopped playing when she saw Vanille entering, coming to a stand a few metres away from her.

The brunette had to admit, the sight of her girlfriend wrapped only in a small towel had caught her a bit off guard as she only stared blatantly for a moment.

But she quickly recovered and a smirk found its way on her lips as she realised the game the girl was playing. "Payback time, huh?"

"I guess so", Vanille replied, her devious smile widening a little as she slowly walked towards Fang, stopping when she stood directly before her.

Fang blatantly stared at her once again and Vanille tilted her head a little, still smiling, though cuter now.

"When will you stop playing? You know, I thought we could watch a little TV - there's this romantic movie starting in an hour!", Vanille suggested happily.

"In an hour? That's fine, darlin'. I'll finish in, let's say, about fifty minutes, okay?", Fang asked while putting her hands back on the guitar that hung before her secured with its leather belt.

"Okay! Then I'll dress and call Serah now!", Vanille exclaimed with a giggle before leaning forward quickly and planting a soft kiss on Fang's lips. Then she left the room without another word, followed by the brunette's hungry eyes.

After dressing, she sat down on the couch in the living room and called Serah. As expected, her best friend picked up quickly.

"Vaniiiille! I've practically been dying for your call! How was your day?", the younger Farron almost screamed into the phone and you could hear Snow chuckling in the background.

"I actually do believe that, Serah.", Vanille giggled.

"And the day was great! She showed me Eden Park and after that we went to a sushi restaurant - you should've seen how ridiculously funny it looked when I tried to use my chopsticks, Serah! That was hilarious", Vanille told her friend happily while leaning back in the couch a bit.

"Sounds fun! Snow and I also had an awesome day together, you know, we went to the beach and now we're at his apartment and will probably go to Lebreau's later.", Serah told her friend while wandering about the room casually.

"Ah and by the way, Lightning wanted to know if you're doing okay.", the younger Farron added after a second.

"She could've called you herself, actually ... but I guess she doesn't want to appear as the mother who always checks every five minutes if her children are fine", Serah giggled a little and glanced over to Snow who had a grin on his face himself but remained quiet.

Vanille smiled. "You can tell her that I'm perfectly fine, really. We're having a great time together. Maybe I should also take some photos for you guys!"

"Yeah just what I suspected. I'll let Light know so that she can sleep peacefully tonight", again, Serah found herself giggling despite herself, gesturing to Snow as she left the room for some privacy.

"Soooo ... how was your first night with her?", she then went on to the question that had been on her curious mind for quite some time now. Her voice had a suggestive tone to it, leaving no doubt about what she was implying.

And Vanille, being herself, couldn't help but blush a little at the question. "Uhm ... w-what do you mean?", she tried to play dumb.

"Oh come on, Vanille, don't take me for an idiot! You know very well what I mean!", Serah responded, frowning a little.

"How was the sex?", she then asked bluntly when Vanille didn't reply directly.

"Actually ... there wasn't any", the redhead blurted out quickly, feeling a bit uncomfortable. What would Serah think about her now?

"Oookay ... Well that's surprising, I would've bet that you guys would've done it the first night", Serah admitted, followed by a little sigh.

"So, what's the problem? Don't want to?", she inquired further, not willing to let the topic go.

"I don't really know, Serah. There've been some ... uhm, how do I call it ... 'exciting moments' but we didn't go further.", Vanille tried to explain the situation.

"She... she doesn't push for anything, you see, so I guess it would be my turn to start something. But I feel I'd be too shy for that, to be honest", the girl went on further, verbalising her thoughts.

Serah smiled, finding the whole thing extremely cute. And it just screamed Vanille. It was just so like her to be too shy for, well, for anything.

"I understand, I guess. But you know, Vanille, I think first you should get clear if you really want it and if so, well ...", Serah tried to explain what she had in mind, gesturing around wildly in the process.

"Well if you want it, then just start something, somehow. Actually, it doesn't matter how you go at it, because normally she should understand quickly what you want and then it'll just develop naturally, believe me", she told her friend, remembering her and Snow's first time together.

She was aware of the fact that it would be even a little harder for her best friend, though, as she had no experience yet but sooner or later, Vanille would probably just make a move, just as Serah had suggested.

"Oookay. I guess I get what you mean.", Vanille responded, feeling a bit uneasy. Even though Serah was her best friend and they told each other basically everything, it was still strange to talk about sex with her. But then again, it had never been much more than a side issue, mostly.

"Alright, then. I'm sure you'll do whatever's right for you!", Serah replied and nodded as Snow hesitantly came in, pointing at his watch, obviously telling her it was time to leave for the bar.

"Anyway, Snow's letting me know we should better leave for Lebreau's now, so... I hope you guys have a nice evening and we'll talk tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay. Enjoy your evening and bye, Serah", Vanille said before hanging up.

She sighed as she put the phone on the coffee table. Just when she was about to dwell on the things she'd just talked about with her best friend, however, Fang's playing stopped.

So Vanille switched on the TV and zapped to the channel that would be showing the romantic movie in a few minutes.

Moments later, Fang entered the room and sat down beside her. As the movie started shortly after, they didn't talk much.

And though Vanille was wrapped up in the movie, she noticed how her thoughts kept bouncing back to her talk with Serah every once in a while. Even though it had been quite an uncomfortable topic for her, she felt that her best friend's words had given her more self-confidence to make a move.

Just as if she had needed someone to tell her what to do.

* * *

**AN: **I've always thought about Serah as the type of best friend who literally wants to know everything, and she surely doesn't mind asking bluntly when her curiosity gets the better of her, haha.

Anyway, you see where this is heading. Next chapter will have some sexual content in it. I will put another clear warning before the chapter again so that everybody knows and people who don't want to read it see and can skip it.


	12. Chapter 12

**AN: **Here's the next chapter, finally ready for you :) As always, thank you all for your support, and feel free to write a review or a PM to me if you feel like it! It is always welcome.

Now, about the next chapter: As already mentioned in the AN after the last chapter, this one here will have **sexual content** in it, or in other words: **it's simply smut :P** So if you don't like this, you can still scroll down and look out for the XXX XXX sign and read the small part afterwards; it's smut-free again.

And now ... enjoy! Please also note that this is the first time ever I write smut, so uhm ... it'd be very very great if you let me know how you liked it and if there's anything you think needs improvement :)

* * *

_Chapter Twelve_

"That was sooo romantic, wasn't it?", Vanille exclaimed happily when the movie was over.

"You know I'm not such a fan of those soppy romance movies but you have a point. This one wasn't even so bad, love", Fang admitted with a smirk before leaning over to her girlfriend and giving her a peck on the lips.

It was then that Vanille felt something stirring inside her. _Now or never, this is your chance. _And with that, she leaned forward and pulled Fang back into another real kiss just as the woman had withdrawn a little again.

Though caught off guard by the sudden, unexpected action, the brunette went along with it, giving in to the deep kiss Vanille had introduced. She didn't miss the obvious passion and desire behind the kiss as it grew more heated by the second, and soon, their tongues were wildly dancing with each other in a hard-fought battle for dominance.

But despite being all wrapped up in the intense kiss, the redhead could feel Fang holding back, as if unsure where Vanille wanted to take this, as if waiting for permission to do more, to go further.

So she decided she had to show Fang her intentions, and so she quickly shifted - carefully so as not to interrupt their kiss - and straddled her girlfriend, placing her hands on her shoulders in the process.

It was Fang who pulled away from the kiss then, her eyes widened in surprise as she stared at the girl sitting on her lap. The brunette wasn't stupid of course, so she knew very well what Vanille was trying to do. A glance into her lust-filled emerald eyes confirmed the already obvious.

Still, Fang wanted to make sure her girlfriend was certain about this. "Are you sure?"

A small smile found its way on the redhead's lips as she gazed back into the jade eyes before her intently. There was desire in them too, there was no doubt, and it gave the girl an extra boost in confidence as she nodded to Fang.

"Yes. I want you", she breathed so softly it belied the strong desire she felt inside her, just waiting to be completely freed finally.

"Alright", Fang nodded back to her, smiling herself now as an idea hit her and she swiftly reached out only to quickly remove the girl's hair ties. Her smile had grown a good bit more impish now as she placed her hands on Vanille's back and looked at her, arching a brow. "Don't want that to get in the way, yeah?"

Vanille smiled a little deviously herself, and it was all the warning Fang got as she leaned forward again.

And before she knew it, the redhead's lips were on her own once again. Quickly losing herself in the kiss, Fang moved her hands to her girlfriend's hips, pressing her tightly to her own body while Vanille leaned forward more and snaked her hands around the brunette's neck.

Feeling it was about time to continue this in the bedroom, Fang withdrew from Vanille's wanting lips for a brief moment. Their gazes met, and she smirked at the confusion in her girlfriend's eyes.

"Hold on, love", was all the warning she spoke out then before getting up from the couch, holding Vanille tightly to her own body.

Though momentarily surprised, the redhead quickly complied and wrapped her legs around Fang's waist to stabilise herself as the woman carried her to the bedroom.

Fang carefully dropped Vanille on the bed and quickly went to close the door before walking back and crawling on top of her.

Vanille didn't hesitate and pulled Fang into another kiss as she felt the woman's hands roam her body as if to get to know every inch of it.

She arched her back into Fang's touch when the brunette's hands reached her breasts, staying there to knead them gently through the girl's shirt.

They only broke their kiss again when the need for air became too great, and Fang used the opportunity to pull away and discard her shirt.

Vanille sat up a little to remove her own shirt as well when Fang smiled warmly at her, helping her with it.

Not a second after the shirt was lost, Fang leaned forward again and began placing soft, lingering kisses on Vanille's neck, which earned her a pleased sigh from the girl.

Eagerly, the brunette continued downward, kissing the girl's collarbone and her belly.

Feeling that Vanille was still wearing too many clothes, she moved her hands up and fumbled behind the redhead's back to open her bra.

Swiftly, Vanille shifted to lose the garment and Fang discarded it as well before looking down at Vanille's pretty breasts that lay exposed before her now for the first time.

She didn't miss the light blush that had crept upon the girl's face, so she decided to quickly go on to help her girlfriend feel more comfortable with the new situation.

So Fang leaned down once again and cupped the girl's breasts gently, allowing her time to get used to the new sensations as she pressed her lips onto Vanille's, introducing a heated kiss.

And true to her expectations, it didn't take her younger girlfriend long to lose her momentary embarrassment and relax again. Fang had to smile into the kiss while she took a hardened nipple between two fingers and played with it, as Vanille let out a soft moan into their kiss at the treatment and arched her back a little.

Feeling completely overwhelmed by desire, the redhead attached her own hands to Fang's back, stroking over it for a while before opening the guitarist's bra.

Fang smirked a little as they broke the kiss and she removed the garment. Immediately, Vanille's eyes were drawn to her now exposed chest, but she was too shy to just reach out and touch the ample bosom presented to her.

Fang, obviously noticing the girl's ongoing thoughts, gently took Vanille by her wrists and led her hands to her breasts.

"As I said, it's all yours. Doesn't only include starin' but also touchin', love", she said with a husky voice and Vanille complied, touching the woman's breasts for the first time.

And she loved it, quickly beginning to grope them more firmly rather than stroking them. They were so soft and just the right size and Vanille marvelled at the feeling of the breasts in her hands. She knew Fang was enjoying it as well, as the woman closed her eyes and pressed herself more into the girl's touch.

A few moments later, Fang leaned down again and let her mouth wander to the girl's right breast, slowly circling the nipple with her tongue while her hand took care of the other.

Vanille closed her eyes at the heavenly treatment, arching her back in delight. Her breathing was already coming out in short, barely audible pants as she took it all in.

She only opened her eyes again as her girlfriend retreated from her bosom and placed her hands at Vanille's waist, apparently to pull down her skirt.

But Fang was waiting for permission as her gaze questioningly searched her girlfriend's. The redhead quickly nodded up to her, which was all the reaction Fang needed to swiftly pull down her skirt and leave her exposed only in her panties.

Fang was just about to open the belt of her own pants when Vanille shook her head before sitting up and placing her own hands over Fang's.

The brunette got the hint and smiled, withdrawing her hands and letting Vanille unbuckle her belt for her. Once the girl had opened the zipper too, she shifted to get out of her pants.

Though her desire was strong and she felt like it would just burst out of her and overwhelm her any second now, Fang also felt something incredibly warm in her chest area. It made her so unbelievably happy to be here with Vanille right now, to be able to touch her, to pleasure her, to make Vanille feel good.

This emotion was probably the reason why she could restrain herself that well, why she was able to go about this with patience instead of losing control and just screwing her girlfriend silly. Normally, that was much more like her. But not with Vanille.

Fang smiled as she revelled in the warm feeling while leaning forward and kissing her way down Vanille's body, paying special attention to her breasts and the hardened nipples once more.

Vanille placed her hands on Fang's strong shoulders, holding her tightly to her own body. She sighed in pleasure when her girlfriend kissed the very sensitive area around her belly button and stuck out her tongue to circle it.

Fang slowly moved her hands down the girl's body to her waist again and stopped once she had the waistband of her panties in between her fingers.

Vanille opened her eyes, which were completely clouded with lust, and nodded down to Fang, giving her the okay to continue. And with that, the older woman swiftly pulled down her panties and discarded them to the floor, effectively stripping the last protective barrier off her.

Once again tonight, she sat up herself to remove the last piece of garment from her body, too, and after she'd done so, their gazes met for a moment before Fang roamed her girlfriend's completely naked body with her eyes, taking it all in for the very first time.

She was really amazingly beautiful. Fang had seen quite a lot of naked women lying before her just like Vanille did now and many of them had been quite handsome, too, but none of them had evoked such a deep affection inside her heart.

But this was exactly what she was feeling right now as she looked down at her and as Vanille gazed up at her, exploring her tanned body with her eyes as well.

"You're so beautiful", she huskily said with a voice so quiet it was almost a whisper. She saw a warm smile find its way on Vanille's face at the comment.

She didn't avert her gaze from the girl's for one moment as she slowly leaned down again and placed herself between her legs.

To Vanille, it was electrifying. The contact of their naked bodies, the way their hips pressed against the other's, it was all new to her and already it was something she didn't want to miss ever again in her life.

Though Fang was far more experienced than the girl, she enjoyed their close contact just as much. There was no other place she'd rather be right now.

The brunette smiled before she drew her into a passionate kiss while she supported her weight on one elbow. Her free hand found its way to one of the girl's breasts, caressing it gently.

Feeling the need to further their bodily contact, Vanille instinctively wrapped her legs tightly around Fang's waist and placed her hands on her back, digging her nails into the flesh a little which made goosebumps prick up on the skin.

Fang, overwhelmed by desire, began soft thrusting motions at this, rocking her hips against Vanille's, slowly at first. She broke their kiss to pay some attention to the girl's neck.

The redhead's panting came out louder now and as she began to rock her hips too, a soft moan escaped her lips occasionally since Fang deliberately ground her wet centre against Vanille's own overheated core with her thrusting.

The air was thick with passion and desire as they continued to rock their hips against each other with increasing force and speed while kissing each other almost fiercely.

Fang was panting heavily herself by the time she gently freed herself a little from Vanille's grasp to be able to move downward. She took her time to kiss the girl's breasts again before almost impatiently continuing further down until she reached her lower abdomen.

"Just relax, love. If you don't like somethin', tell me and I'll stop doin' it, okay?", she let her girlfriend know before swiftly snaking her hands under her thighs and pulling her core closer to her face. She could smell her arousal now, and the enticing sweet scent almost drove her insane, reminding her of her impatient personality in no uncertain terms.

Vanille only nodded nervously down to her and closed her eyes, waiting in anticipation.

She let out a sharp unexpected moan and her back arched off the bed when she felt Fang's tongue come into contact with her clit for the first time.

Fang smirked a little at the reaction but quickly resumed her work and began to circle the sensitive bundle of nerves with her tongue slowly and deliberately.

Vanille had her eyes closed tightly and fisted the sheets, enjoying what Fang was doing to her. Completely lost in ecstasy, she pressed her hips forward against her girlfriend's face.

The brunette kept her eyes open and watched her every reaction as she began to suck on her clit while she freed her hands and fondled her breasts.

The girl's pants were coming out more as moans now, her hips occasionally jerking, and Fang let her tongue wander down and teased her dripping wet entrance.

She dipped in only a little and Vanille's hips immediately bucked forward as the girl's breath caught in her throat.

But Fang had other plans with her and so she trailed her tongue up to her clit again and briefly sucked on it before withdrawing her face slowly from the girl's core and crawling back on top of her.

She smiled down at Vanille as the passion of the moment overwhelmed her yet again und made her draw the girl into another deep kiss, both moaning at the contact and the urgency of their lip lock.

The girl could taste herself now, a strange, yet not wholly unlikeable experience.

Vanille instinctively placed her hands on her girlfriend's back once again and dug her nails into the flesh in anticipation when she felt the guitarist's hand wander down her body impatiently only moments later.

Fang lowered herself and began sucking on her nipples shortly before her hand reached its destination and immediately began mimicking what she'd done with her tongue moments ago, applying pressure to the girl's swollen bundle of nerves.

She gasped a little in surprise herself when Vanille drew her upward and into another heated kiss while her nails were softly dragging over the older woman's back.

Vanille, getting more and more into it, was rocking her hips against her girlfriend's hand now while every moan she would've let out was lost on Fang's lips.

But the guitarist wasn't done with her yet and so she broke their kiss and slowed down her rubbing between her girlfriend's legs.

Vanille's eyes opened, her gaze fixed on Fang's in question, their faces only inches apart.

"Listen, sweetheart, this might sting a little now, but I'll be gentle, yeah? Just, uhm, when it hurts too much, don't swallow it but let me know", Fang explained seriously but with a soft smile on her lips while her hand wandered down until it reached the girl's opening, stopping there as she waited for permission to continue.

There was a spark of fear in the girl's eyes but she nodded nevertheless. "Okay", she quietly voiced her consent and Fang nodded herself before she placed two fingers at her entrance and crashed her lips down onto Vanille's in a passionate kiss.

She teased her opening a little longer while their tongues once again fought for dominance, none of them willing to let the other win this little duel.

Vanille pressed Fang tightly against her hot body and the brunette took this as a good sign to continue and pushed her fingers in gently but quickly, tearing the girl's barrier in the process.

The redhead pulled away from the kiss the moment she felt Fang invade her, wincing as she felt a sudden stinging sensation overcome her. She dug her nails so hard into Fang's back that she could hear a hiss escape her mouth.

The girl only noticed that a few tears had left her eyes at the pain when Fang kissed them away softly. "Are you okay?", she asked, concern shadowing her face.

"Y-yes ... it hurts, but it's already getting better, I guess", Vanille replied while a little smile found its way back on her lips.

Remembering that she, too, had hurt Fang, she stroked softly over the woman's back. "Sorry for that"

But Fang only smiled in response, nodding before she started slow thrusting motions inside her, gently and carefully so as not to hurt her more and to give her time to get used to the new sensations.

"Is it okay or does it hurt you?", she asked after a few moments, wanting to reassure her girlfriend was really enjoying this and not quietly enduring pain.

"Don't stop, please. The pain is almost gone", Vanille responded while tightening her grip on Fang's back and pulling her closer to underline her statement. And it was true; with every thrust, the pain was a little more forgotten, a little more distant, as it was more and more replaced with pleasure.

Their lust-filled gazes never left each other as Fang continued thrusting into Vanille's tight opening, picking up the pace a little as she felt the walls contracting a little more around her digits.

"Do you like it?", she asked breathlessly, a bead of sweat running down her muscular belly as she pushed her fingers into Vanille again and again, not letting up in her efforts to please the girl. But actually, this question was more rhetorical than anything else, as Fang was pretty damn sure she knew the answer already.

"Yes", Vanille answered truthfully between heavy pants, licking her lips. She moaned when Fang, apparently taking the answer as a sort of invitation, pushed her fingers in deeper, pumping them in faster and harder, always pulling them out almost completely before slamming back in.

The brunette now had a kind of feral expression on her face and her eyes were almost dark with desire as all she could think of was to fuck Vanille harder, to make her girlfriend come and scream for her.

And slowly, the former virgin felt a strong overwhelming feeling stir in her lower abdomen as Fang did not let up her assault inside her. So much pleasure, it almost seemed impossible to bear for the girl as her moans became more frequent and loader the longer her girlfriend continued thrusting into her increasingly tight entrance.

Her hips were rocking against Fang's hand now, going along with the rhythm her fingers were carrying.

"Fang - ahh", she moaned yet again when the woman attached her lips to her neck, sucking and kissing on it in a way she was sure it would leave a mark. But hell, she really didn't care right now.

She almost lost all ability to think when Fang began occasionally rubbing over her bundle of nerves with her thumb all the while continuing her thrusting, of course.

Vanille, who had had her hands firmly placed on the brunette's back up to this point, holding her tightly, loosened her grip and moved a hand down to her girlfriend's waist to hold her there.

As Fang introduced a teeth clashing kiss, the small hand wandered down and gripped her bottom, gently kneading it. It felt just as she had imagined, soft and yet muscular. She had to smile deviously into their lip lock as an idea suddenly hit her. _Oh, this is certainly fun._

When Fang broke their kiss then and quickly leaned down so as to pay attention to her hardened nipples, Vanille swiftly took her hand away from her ass only to slap on it full force.

A loud smack cut through the silence that was otherwise only filled with Vanille's high pitched moans, Fang's panting and the sounds coming from her movements inside Vanille.

"Gettin' cheeky now, huh?", Fang smirked amusedly. The slap had definitely turned her on and it made her pick up her pace once again as her smirk grew impish. Oh, if Vanille wanted to play it that way, she was totally in.

"Maybe- Ohhh", Vanille moaned loudly when Fang hit a particularly sensitive spot inside her.

The experienced woman knew instinctively the redhead was close to her orgasm as the tight walls she was thrusting into contracted more again, beginning to clamp down almost painfully on her fingers.

She brought her mouth to Vanille's neck again, but this time she began licking and kissing her ear.

"Come for me", she huskily breathed into her ear while her fingers continuously hit all the right spots. It was all the girl needed.

"Fang!", Vanille almost screamed as her orgasm hit her with a force, making her entire body tremble. Fang continued thrusting into her, enjoying her high pitched moans as she rode out her high on her fingers.

She only stopped and pulled them out once Vanille stopped trembling and slowly opened her eyes again, locking her gaze with Fang's own while the girl's still heavy panting filled the silence.

"You're certainly not one to stay quiet in bed, love", the guitarist commented with a lazy smirk before licking her fingers clean.

"Fang!", Vanille protested with a light blush, though she quickly found herself giggling softly as the woman on top of her started laughing herself.

"I didn't say I don't like it, yeah?", she winked and placed a peck on her girlfriend's lips before lying down beside her, smiling.

And suddenly, Vanille felt a certain nervousness stir in her as she locked eyes with Fang. It was her turn to please the woman now, but she was afraid. _What if I don't do it right? What if she doesn't like it? I don't want to disappoint her!_, it raged on in her mind, and she looked away from Fang in utter nervousness, fidgeting a little with her hands.

"Hey, now don't you worry, love. Come here", Fang's accented voice pulled her out of her thoughts before the brunette lay on her back while pulling Vanille on top of her.

She smiled deeply up to the redhead when their gazes met. "Just do whatever ya like, okay? If I don't like it, I'll let ya know, promise. Sound good?"

Vanille found herself smiling too at the kind words. "Okay", she nodded while shifting on top of Fang, effectively pushing her leg further between her girlfriend's, making her groan.

Pleased with the reaction, she firmly placed her knee against her wet centre, carefully so as not to hurt her before leaning down to pay attention to Fang's breasts, something she'd been wanting to do since she'd first laid eyes on their naked forms tonight.

The woman closed her eyes when Vanille's tongue came in contact with her nipple, circling it sensually, while her hand kneaded her other breast.

Vanille smiled contentedly when Fang released a sharp breath as the girl tweaked her nipple softly with her fingers. It gave her an idea, though she wasn't sure if this wasn't too rough for Fang.

But as her girlfriend had told her to just try whatever she wanted, she decided to give it a shot and gently bit down on her nipple. The brunette let out a surprised moan at this but also arched her back into Vanille before opening her eyes.

"Cheeky little thing", Fang commented on the action with a smirk.

"Oh, you didn't like it?", Vanille answered, suddenly feeling self-conscious again. Obviously, she had completely misinterpreted Fang's reaction as disapproval.

"On the contrary, love. I like it rough", she said with a low, husky and utterly erotic voice which was quickly followed by a wink.

The girl didn't know if she should blush madly at this or show how much Fang talking like that turned her on, so she decided to make the situation go away by quickly pulling the woman into a deep kiss.

Her hands stroked over the older woman's breasts while Fang's hands found their way to her hips, gripping her tightly and pushing her down more.

After she found she had paid enough attention to her girlfriend's bosom, Vanille broke the kiss, shifted a little and stuck her tongue out, slowly trailing it down the soft, tanned skin until she reached the woman's lower abdomen.

She shot another glance up to Fang but the woman had closed her eyes again, her hands firmly planted on the sheets, obviously waiting for Vanille to go on and take the next step.

The girl placed a few soft kisses on the older woman's inner thighs before she withdrew again, taking her time to stare at her centre.

She could smell the unmistakable, strong exotic scent of Fang's arousal now and she noticed how it only fuelled her wish to please Fang, to make her moan for her and only her.

However, self-consciousness overcame her yet again as thoughts were quick in storming her mind once more, telling her she had totally no idea what to do now.

"You can do it. Don't be shy", Fang encouraged her softly, her eyes still closed. She blindly placed her hand on Vanille's head, stroking lovingly through her hair to comfort her.

And with that, the girl shrugged off her doubts and leaned forward until she was close enough to Fang's centre.

She carefully stuck out her tongue, flicking softly against the swollen bundle of nerves. It only spurred her on and gave her more self-confidence when a pleased sigh left Fang's mouth at the action.

So she continued flicking against the hard bean, increasing the speed of her flicks as she got used to the action more and more.

By the time she changed her strategy, now sucking on her clit, mimicking what Fang had done to her earlier, the guitarist's hand on her head was softly stroking her whilst also pushing her down gently towards her centre.

The girl then went on by trailing her tongue down until she reached Fang's entrance. She shifted a little so as to position her thumb over her clit, starting to rub it gently while her tongue carefully pushed its way into the opening.

At this, Fang squirmed a little and let out a long, soft moan. It made a shiver run down Vanille's spine as she pushed her tongue in deeper, going as far as she could go before beginning to carefully slide it in and out, enjoying the wetness that surrounded it.

She knew she was doing it right when she felt the pressure from the hand on her head increase, pushing her down more.

With Fang's increasingly laboured breathing and her hips that began jerking more frequently, the girl felt herself getting incredibly turned on once again as she continued her work, not letting up.

"You might wanna go on with your fingers, love", Fang managed to get out between heavy pants, opening her lust-filled eyes to look at Vanille.

Vanille certainly had no objections to that as she quickly complied, sliding out her tongue and shifting to a more comfortable position to go on before placing two fingers at Fang's core, deliberately brushing against her folds in an attempt to both tease and explore her with her digits.

After she'd taken a few moments to do so, she slowly went further down, only stopping once her fingers were placed at her girlfriend's entrance.

She shot a quick glance to Fang, who had once again closed her eyes and had one hand on her stomach now while the other lay loosely on the bed, before sliding her fingers deeply into her lover, eliciting a drawn out exhale from the woman.

Vanille started thrusting into her, slowly at first, and was just about to lean forward again to simultaneously lick her when all of a sudden Fang opened her eyes while her hands gripped Vanille in one quick motion, drawing her up into a lustful kiss, letting the girl straddle her right thigh.

Though surprised by the unexpected action at first, Vanille certainly didn't mind and gave in while not letting up her onslaught on Fang's inner walls.

She released a pleased moan into the kiss herself when she felt the brunette's hands land on her ass, kneading the soft flesh.

When their lips separated, a smirk found its way on Fang's lips. Vanille had only merely a second to wonder as to why before the woman swiftly took her hands away from her bottom only to slap on it which resounded in two loud smacks.

"Payback time, sweetheart", she then huskily breathed. It made Vanille grin, and even more so when she decided to react to this by picking up her pace and putting more force to her thrusts, the exact same reaction as Fang had pulled off earlier.

Its effect showed, as the brunette responded with a moan while the girl felt her contract more around her fingers. She leaned down and started placing soft kisses along Fang's collarbone, a smile forming on her lips as she felt her lover's hands roam her body.

What she wasn't prepared for, though, was the hand that suddenly began wandering up her inner thigh until it reached Vanille's centre. The girl twitched in surprise when the hand arrived at its destination, touching her clit briefly before swiftly moving to her entrance.

And then two fingers entered her without much of a warning, making her pull away from Fang's collarbone to let out a sweet moan.

She had no time to react much, though, as hungry lips crashed onto hers while the fingers inside her began thrusting, setting up a fast rhythm Vanille's hips followed as they bucked against the hand that invaded her.

Once they broke the kiss, they kept their faces close to each other, only inches apart, and their lustful gazes never left the other for one second as they continued their movements inside each other, eliciting pants and moans in the process.

Vanille felt that Fang was already close as the increasingly tight walls she was pushing into contracted more and more. She unconsciously licked her lips as she took all the power she could muster and pushed her digits into Fang as hard and fast as she could.

Fang moaned more frequently now, and not wanting to be outdone, she picked up her pace and the force of her thrusts as well, though she noticed herself that she was closer to reaching her peak than Vanille, obviously, as she'd only just started satisfying the girl once more.

"Vanille..", Fang moaned, feeling she was on the verge of breaking. Vanille, of course, did not miss this and started rubbing her thumb over her clit while pushing her digits in again and again and again while Fang did not let up either, and the girl sat up so the brunette was able to push her fingers in deeper and at a better angle.

When Vanille let out another of her high pitched moans and thrust hard into Fang, followed by a quick stroke over her bundle of nerves, she felt her lover's inner walls clamp down on her digits as the brunette was pushed over the edge, coming with a long, loud moan.

Vanille could feel the strong tremors of Fang's orgasm rip through the tanned body underneath her, making it twitch and shake a little, limited only by Vanille's body on top of her. The girl slowed down her thrusting and eventually pulled her fingers out when Fang's trembling subsided and she seemed to relax.

A few moments later, Fang finally reopened her eyes, staring up at Vanille with a smirk, her own digits still inside the girl, though she'd stopped all movements the second her orgasm had overwhelmed her.

Vanille smiled down at her, not paying attention to the still strong heat between her own legs. She carefully shifted on Fang's fingers to lean down and kiss her.

The moment her lips made contact with Fang's own, however, the woman used the opportunity to grip Vanille tightly with her free hand and roll them both over, now finding herself on top of the redhead once again.

She didn't give the girl much of a break as she immediately resumed her movements again, starting a fast and rough pace. It made Vanille moan into the kiss as her hips instantly started rocking against Fang's hand, trying to keep up with her rhythm.

Fang smiled briefly when she broke the kiss and quickly shifted, a wild feral gaze emitting from her jade eyes as she moved down her lover's body until her face was between her thighs. She continued pumping into her while her tongue paid some attention to Vanille's swollen clit, savouring her addictive taste.

The girl's moans quickly became more frequent and louder and only shortly after, she tensed up once again, her walls clamping down around Fang's fingers for the second time tonight as she reached her peak, screaming in pure pleasure while desperately holding on to Fang's head, gripping fistfuls of hair.

Once she came down from her high, Fang lay down beside her, propping her head on her elbow and smiling just like the woman she was.

XXX XXX

Vanille felt utterly at peace as her gaze met Fang's and she saw nothing but warmth in them. "Fang...", she whispered softly and the woman lay on her back, gesturing for Vanille to join her.

Vanille scooted closer and made herself comfortable in Fang's arms, resting her head on the woman's shoulder. There was no other place she'd rather be right now; she believed she'd never before in her life felt so completely at peace, so wonderful, so ... _loved_.

And it was then that a realisation hit her: She loved Fang. She really did. If she knew anything right now, then it was that this was what she felt in her heart.

"Fang?", she raised her head to lock eyes with the beautiful woman.

"Yes, sweetie?", the brunette replied, her hand stroking softly over Vanille's back.

"There's something I wanted to tell you", she started, her own hand drawing patterns on Fang's collarbone.

"Sure, I'm all ears", Fang smiled softly with a tad bit sleepiness on her features.

"I love you, Fang", Vanille said with the softest she'd ever heard her voice become, her loving gaze underlining the statement she'd just made.

And for a moment, you could see surprise evident on Fang's face before she averted her gaze, staring down at her own chest, making a confused thinking face.

Hell, she had never even had a crush on someone before Vanille, and now the girl told her she loved her. It was much to take for the woman, and of course she immediately asked herself if what she felt for the girl was the same. Was it love? Damn, she had no idea, completely lacking the experience with emotions like that.

"Faang? Do you ... feel the same?", Vanille asked, self-consciousness slowly getting to her, fear creeping into her mind accompanied by sadness. What if she'd just made that confession to a woman who didn't love her back?

The strange tone to Vanille's voice made Fang force herself to look up again, meeting her gaze again, staring back into these deep, wonderful emerald eyes that were Vanille's.

And right then, as she saw even the faintest shimmer of fear and sadness spark in them, it felt like something would break in the very depths of her heart at the sight. And she just knew right then that the last thing she wanted to ever do was hurt her, was make her unhappy.

Though not entirely her fault, this had happened once on their cinema date, and Fang was more than determined to ensure this was the first and last time.

She wanted to see her happy. And _she_ wanted to be the person responsible for that. It was then that she realised one thing with an undeniable clarity: She did love Vanille. There was no doubt left, her emotions were telling her this truth clearly as crystal.

"Yes. I love you too, Vanille", she finally said before placing the softest of kisses on her forehead.

"I'm sorry for hesitating. It's just that ... that I've never even had a crush on someone before you, so it ... it, uhm, took me a short moment to realise, to _understand_ that what I feel for you is love.", Fang explained, her gaze radiating the uttermost sincerity and love she'd ever shown towards a person.

"Forgive me for unsettling you like that, please", she added, taking the girl's hand in her own.

"I do", Vanille simply replied as Fang's touching words sank in, letting her broad smile do the talking for her. It managed to get across so much more right now than any word she could've said.

Fang nodded as she smiled back and Vanille put her head back on her shoulder, resting it there and closing her eyes, her soft smile not leaving her lips for one second.

She lay her arm around Fang's waist when the woman planted a soft kiss on her forehead before moving a little in order to drag the blanket over them.

It wasn't much later when both fell asleep peacefully, cuddled up in the warmth of each other's arms. And truly, there was no place they'd rather be.

* * *

**AN:** Yeah well ... I guess this was a fluff overload again here in the end. Guess the next chapter will explore the letter Fang received more, so let's see what this is about and what'll happen :)


	13. Chapter 13

**AN:** Hello again! I know this chapter was ready rather late, as I was busy preparing for my studies next month (looking for an apartment etc etc). I expect to be working a lot especially in the beginning, so I'll tell you right away that I will continue updating (of course!) but that it might take a little longer whenever there's a lot to do :) Just so you know.

* * *

_Chapter Thirteen_

The next morning, Vanille awoke lying on her side, feeling Fang's body pressed against hers from behind, her arm loosely around the girl's waist.

She smiled and opened her eyes, memories of last night flooding her mind. It had been wonderful, and the girl felt a wave of deep affection and love rise in her heart for the woman she'd shared the night with.

She carefully made to turn around in Fang's arm to face the still sleeping brunette when she felt an unfamiliar ache between her legs. Apparently, she was sore from their night activities.

But it wasn't too bad, fortunately, and so the girl tried her best to ignore the pain for now as she finally turned to face her still soundly asleep girlfriend.

She looked so peaceful. Hell, it almost gave Vanille a bad conscience as she planted a soft kiss on her forehead in a first attempt to wake her.

She leaned forward more as the woman did not react to the action. "Faaang", she then breathed tenderly into her ear, and the brunette unconsciously moved a bit while her hand on Vanille's waist stroked over the skin a little.

But still, she was asleep. So Vanille leaned to her ear once again, trying it once more. "Faaang ... wake up", she breathed a little louder than before while her hand found its way to Fang's back, stroking over the tanned skin gently.

And much to her delight, Fang opened her eyes at this, their gazes meeting as Vanille withdrew from her ear again, both smiling.

"Good morning, love", the guitarist said a little huskily before drawing the girl into a tight embrace without further warning.

Not that Vanille had any complaints, though. She sighed in content when their warm naked bodies pressed tightly against each other and she deeply inhaled Fang's scent as she stroked over the woman's back, smiling a little as she felt the scratches she'd left the night before.

"Good morning, Fang", she finally replied softly. She had to shiver a little as the woman she loved placed a few soft kisses on her shoulder before drawing away from her again.

They just lay there before each other, simply staring into the other's eyes for a few moments, no words said.

Fang found herself smirking after a while. "You in for a nice warm shower to start the day?", she asked her girlfriend as she sat up, stretching her arms.

Vanille smiled at the proposal. "Sure, let's go", she agreed happily and hopped off the bed. Fang took another few moments to get rid of the last remains of sleepiness and only got up and walked to the bathroom once she heard the water running.

And so they enjoyed a long shower together before having breakfast while reading the weekend edition newspaper. Fang wasn't surprised at all when she spotted an article about her and the 'mysterious redhead' at her side in the paper, which had a big photo of them both as well, obviously taken as she'd dragged Vanille the short way from the tour bus to the skyscraper on Friday.

It was kind of funny to read how the writer speculated about the nature of their relationship, obviously confused as to why Fang should spend time with a girl aside from sleeping with her.

Vanille didn't quite find it as funny as her girlfriend, mainly complaining about how outrageous and disrespectful the journalists dared to write about Fang and her personal life.

But the brunette reasoned with her that getting angry about things like that didn't help anyone, as you couldn't change them anyway, so it was best to just get used to and ignore it.

And after thinking about it for a moment, the girl had to admit that Fang had a point. She promised to try and not get upset about the press again in the future, which earned her an approving kiss.

After that was settled, the two enjoyed a happy Sunday outside in the almost too hot summer weather before going to bed early since Fang had to show up at the band's office the next morning.

The brunette had a harder time finding sleep than she would've thought, as worries about the strange letter kept getting to her.

Not only that, but she would be a liar if she didn't acknowledge this nasty feeling of guilt for not telling Vanille about this. She didn't want to upset the girl, but on the other hand, didn't she deserve to know? After all, she could be in danger as much as the band, who knew.

It was late when Fang finally managed to shrug off her thoughts, knowing that she'd hopefully find satisfying solutions together with the guys the next day.

* * *

"Mornin' guys", Sazh started once every band member had sat down on a chair in the small room they always used for their meetings to plan and talk everything through.

"Ya know we need to plan our move to Bodhum, but as I already told ya'll on the phone, there's somethin' else as well", he continued, holding his hands and licking his lips in an attempt to calm himself. "Somethin' important"

He briefly looked over to Fang, who looked almost as tired as he felt. "Do ya still remember these letters all of us have received once or twice over the last weeks?", he asked everyone and got approving nods from them.

"Yeah, those typed letters where some douche threatened to kill us and stuff", Cid piped up, smiling lazily as he leaned back in his char.

"The ones written in this gruesome pink colour we always made fun of..", Hope added, shaking a little as he remembered. The colour had really been an insult to his eyes.

"Yeah, these ones exactly. Well the thing is, Fang called me the weekend, tellin' me she received another one. But this time it's not the usual vague 'something bad will happen to Fighting Fate', 'someone will get hurt' stuff", he explained to the guys, his face having a suddenly very serious expression to it. It was clear that this concerned the man just as much as Fang, that he, too, didn't see it as a joke anymore like they all used to.

"So, what does it say that you're so worried about this?", Cid asked the older man, leaning forward in his chair in curiosity, his eyes then wandering on to Fang.

The woman got the hint and nodded before quickly taking out the paper. She cleared her throat, "Stay away from the Cocoon Song Contest or I will make you regret it. Dearly.", she read out before putting the message on the table, revealing the same pink-coloured letters used.

Cid held his in chin in thought. "Interesting. This one makes a clear statement unlike the others before that only threw empty phrases at us. Apparently, someone doesn't want us to participate in the Contest. I wonder why"

"You really don't read the newspaper often, huh?", Fang remarked, smirking at the man. "The press widely agrees that we're the absolute favourite to win this thing. If ya ask me, that's a pretty good reason to try and make us not go there"

Sazh nodded. "I agree. I just don't understand why the letters before were all so vague. Why not directly come out with it? Why all these letters before that were full of cliché phrases, so much that no one could possibly take 'em serious?", he'd stood up in the meantime, uneasily wandering around behind his chair.

"Well maybe it's not the same person as from the letters before. Just someone who wants to make us think that", Hope suggested a little self-consciously.

"I don't think so. We haven't told anyone besides, well, us about this, haven't shown the letters to anyone. So no one could've had the information to copy the style", Cid argued against Hope's idea. "No, it must be the same person"

"I guess he just wasn't satisfied that obviously, we didn't react to his earlier letters the way he liked. A person who does that wants us to react in fear. They want to see how we double our security efforts and everythin' because of their threats.", Fang then piped up while playing with the paper still lying in front of her.

"And quite honestly, with this letter he's been a little successful with me, to be honest...", she added after a moment, her gaze fixed on the letter. She really didn't like to admit it, but it was true.

And more so she knew she shouldn't react like this, as she'd just explained herself that this was the writer's goal: scaring them. But she just couldn't help but think of other bands that had in fact already been attacked by haters in the past. Everyone would get a little nervous over that, wouldn't they?

"Yeah, I'm with ya on this one. We just don't know if he's ready to actually _do _what he threatens, and that is what frightens me", Sazh admitted, nodding over to Fang in a way that clearly showed he understood her uncertainty about this too well.

"So what do you wanna do about this? Please don't tell me we're not going to the Contest because of this idiot", Cid spoke with a little anger in his voice, pointing at the sheet in Fang's hands.

"No no. We'll not give him what he wants. We _will _go and participate in the Contest as planned. If no one is against it, I mean", Sazh answered with confidence. He looked around briefly if anyone had any objections.

"No, I'm with ya. We'll go there. And I'm even more motivated to win this thing now that I know someone desperately wants us outta the Contest", Fang smirked, her usual nonchalant self-confidence present once again.

"I'm in too, I just think we should definitely enhance our security. As already said, we don't know if he wants to act on the letter...", Hope pointed out, and again, nobody had objections to a little more caution.

Sazh, as the band's manager, promised them to take care of it and hire additional and more skilled security staff for all their coming press conferences, interviews, gigs and whenever they left their apartments.

Also, they agreed to not get the police involved, at least not yet - it would only result in someone telling the press. That kind of extra 'attention' from the media wasn't something they really desired right now.

They would have to inform the police about this before the Contest anyway, as their help to ensure their security would definitely be needed. But until then, they might as well leave everyone in the dark about this, enjoying the relative silence the last weeks until the Contest would take place.

* * *

Fang sighed as the band's chauffeur drove her the way home to her apartment where Vanille was waiting for her. The rest of the meeting had gone smoothly and with a lot of laughing, just as usual, but now as she sat in the limo alone, reality came back to her, reminding her that she'd promised herself to tell her girlfriend about the letters once she returned home.

It was a task she didn't particularly like, no, not at all actually. She expected Vanille to freak out about it, and more so she didn't like that she would have to admit she'd lied to her girlfriend when she'd hidden the letter from her before.

Hell, maybe this whole threatening letter thing was nothing serious at all, just someone wanting to scare them off for fun or maybe even in little, childish hopes of getting them to quit the Contest and therefore upping the chances of the person's favourite contestant to win. At least that was her image of the person behind the threats.

But still, everyone seemed a little tense now that there'd been another letter with more than just some empty, almost comical threats in it.

The woman couldn't put her finger on it, but this latest letter had something about it that just gave you this feeling. This feeling that someone meant what they wrote and was possibly very ready to act on it. It hadn't been like that with the letters before.

The others must be feeling it too, otherwise they wouldn't have appeared so serious about it, she guessed.

"We've arrived, Miss Yun", the chauffeur's deep, friendly voice pulled Fang out of her thoughts as the car stopped still. She waited until the man opened her door to let her out and said her thanks, gave him the usual tip and then quickly made her way through the almost empty underground car park to the elevator.

It cast a smile on Fang's lips as she opened the door to her apartment and a lovely smell reached her nostrils. Vanille must've cooked for them.

"Sweetheart, I'm home", she called while dropping her keys nearby and making her way to the kitchen while kicking off her shoes.

"You're right on time! I've cooked us something", Vanille happily exclaimed as she almost suddenly walked around the corner to greet Fang and gave her a quick kiss. "I hope you like salmon"

Despite being still very much aware she sooner or later had to ruin her girlfriend's good mood, Fang had to smile deeply at how loving Vanille was as she followed the girl to the kitchen and dining area.

It didn't help her bad conscience when she tried to help Vanille setting the table and was cutely but also firmly told to sit down and let the redhead do the work. "Is there a special occasion for this or are ya just bein' nice with me?", Fang inquired as she watched her girlfriend put everything on the table.

"I'm just being nice with you", Vanille confirmed with a giggle as she sat down across from the brunette, smiling. "And besides, I love cooking"

And her love really showed, as to describe the meal as delicious wouldn't have done it justice as far as Fang was concerned.

* * *

"So, you said there was something you wanted to talk about?", Vanille said as they let themselves fall on the couch after the meal.

"Yeah, and I'm already sorry for ruinin' your mood with this", Fang started a little uneasy and turned a bit to face her girlfriend.

"Ya know, uhm ... do you remember the fan letter you saw me puttin' away on Saturday?"

"Yeah, sure. What is it with it?", the redhead replied, already having a bad feeling about this. Her eyes narrowed a little in concentration as she stared intently at Fang.

"Well, I haven't been honest with ya on this one. It wasn't a fan letter, love. In fact, someone has sent the band several threatening letters over the last weeks and this is another one, though we're a little more ... concerned about this one in particular", the brunette quickly blurted out to get it over with.

"I didn't tell ya because I didn't want you to worry and get upset about this, that's why I invented the fan letter excuse", she quickly added as the girl opened her mouth to say something.

She hoped Vanille wouldn't be too mad at her, after all she'd lied to her. That wasn't something many people took lightly, no matter what the reason behind it was.

She could see her girlfriend gulp and blink twice before she opened her mouth again, this time not to be interrupted by Fang.

"A-a threatening letter? Oh Etro. This is bad, isn't it?", she asked, a slight bit of panic evident in her voice as she bit her lip. "I mean, you... you said you received more threats before, right? This is _serious_!"

"Woah woah, Vanille, calm down a bit", Fang quickly cut her off, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"You're right we shouldn't treat this lightly as we, admittedly, have done until now. But unlike the other letters before, which only had some vague, stupid, almost impersonal threats in them, this one clearly warned us to stay away from the next Cocoon Song Contest", the guitarist explained the situation and took out the letter from her pocket, unfolded it and handed it to Vanille to read.

"I'm sorry for lying to you about this, love", she calmly said as the girl read the words.

She had a questioning look on her face as Vanille looked up from the letter again and their gazes met.

"It's alright, Fang ... just tell me right away in the future, okay? I see that you just wanted to protect me, but it's better not to keep important things like that from the one you love, you know", Vanille said, a little, sweet smile forming on her lips as she spoke the last words and gave Fang a quick, tender kiss to underline she wasn't really mad at her.

"Okay, I'll tell ya everythin' right away from now on", the brunette agreed, smiling herself.

"And please tell me you won't go to the Contest and have informed the police already", the girl said after a moment, with a spark of fear shadowing her emerald eyes for a second. She was afraid about this whole thing, of course. It was only understandable.

"Uhm, well ...", Fang rubbed over her hands nervously. "Actually, we decided we won't give this guy, girl, whatever the satisfaction to see us cancelling our participation in the Contest. And we agreed we'll only involve the police right before the event to keep the press in the dark as long as possible", she admitted and quickly put a finger on Vanille's lips when the girl opened her mouth in protest.

"Wait. Just let me say everything before you go complaining about it, yeah?", the younger woman only nodded with a small smile and let Fang proceed.

"Obviously, this person's goal is to scare us off from the Contest for some reason - already tried that with the letters before but didn't work. So they sent another one now, clearly tellin' us what they want. So if we give 'em that, they win. That we can't accept, ya know? It'd give them the idea they've power over us, ya see?"

Vanille nodded again, more firmly this time. "I understand. You don't want to give someone the impression they can do with you whatever they like as long as they just threaten you enough"

"Exactly. Though we are of course worried about it still, as we have no idea whether or not the writer is just bluffin' or actually willin' to act on his threats. So maybe it'll calm you down a little more that we decided to significantly increase our security standards from now on", Fang added and stroked over her girlfriend's shoulder.

"It does. I'm still afraid, though, Fang..", the redhead softly admitted and leaned forward to snuggle into her girlfriend's chest. The brunette instinctively put her arms around her, holding her close.

"I know, love. I am, too. The band members are. But we'll get through this together, okay?"

"Okay", she heard the muffled response from her chest, followed by small hands landing on her back to hug her tightly.

They stayed like that for several minutes, wordlessly seeking comfort in each other as they held one another tightly and just listened to the other's steady breath and heartbeat.

This long moment of peace proved itself helpful when Fang got a call from Sazh later that day, informing her that Hope, too, had received a letter with the exact same message as Fang's shortly after their meeting.

* * *

The next two weeks following were more stressful and loaded with work than Fang would've imagined or liked, as the preparations for both the Contest and their move to Bodhum had to be done at the same time.

This was due to the unfortunate fact that the record label had decided to close their Eden studio division in the third week after their return to Eden, which was just the week before the Contest.

That meant the band had only two weeks to prepare everything and had to do the move in the third week. It was possible but still a tough schedule.

Naturally, that also severely limited Fang and Vanille's time together, and so the most time the two spent together was when the girl helped her girlfriend organise her move, for which the latter was more than thankful.

Though it wasn't quite the way Vanille had hoped to spend her holiday with Fang, she still understood that there were just times when you had to take care of important things. That this time it coincided with her holiday with Fang was just unfortunate, but she was more than sure they'd have more time for each other again once the move was done.

* * *

And finally, exactly one week away from the Contest, the members of Fighting Fate had indeed managed to move to their respective places in Bodhum, though with a lot of help from their partners, good friends and others.

Now that was settled, there was still the Contest lying before them. They looked forward to it, but there was still this one thing that dampened their joy a bit: over the last weeks, everyone had received more threatening letters, all repeating what had already been told to them with the ones before: don't participate in the Contest or you will pay for it.

Sure, it made the band nervous, as with every additional letter they got, they feared even more that someone would be pulling something off right during the event. That was at least what they suspected since all they'd gotten during the last weeks were these threats, nothing else.

But despite worries being present in all of their minds, they didn't give in to the stranger's demands. And so it was Friday, six days before the Contest, when they came together in their new studio in Bodhum for the first time to get to know the staff and practise.

As it turned out, the studio wasn't as big as the one in Eden, but that didn't really matter to the band since it had all the equipment and comfort they needed to work properly. That was all that mattered.

Just when they'd finished looking around, they were approached by a relatively tall man with a grey ponytail in a black suit. He looked kind of strict but forced a polite smile on his lips as he came closer to the musicians.

"Good morning! My name is Yaag Rosch, I'm the newly appointed manager of this studio. I'm awfully sorry for having kept you waiting for so long", he introduced himself formally before shaking everyone's hands.

"This is alright, we've been lookin' around a bit in the meantime", Sazh kindly answered the man, who seemed to be sincerely embarrassed by his own unpunctuality.

The tall man nodded curtly before a hand wandered to his tie to tighten it a bit. "I'm pleased to hear that. Did you find everything? Or do you need any further help? I'd be glad to be of assistance", Rosch responded, again smiling politely as his eyes wandered around between the band members, seemingly staring right through their beings.

You could see by the momentary silence and the strange looks on everyone's faces that the band wasn't really used to such an overly polite studio manager. After all, the one responsible for Eden's studio had been the complete opposite in many ways; he'd been a relaxed, often unshaved guy running around the studio in short pants, t-shirts with gruesome logos and sneakers, who'd treated the bands and staff working there much like he'd treat his friends;

Rosch was different, yes. Very different. "No no, that's fine, thank you. Our guards will bring in our stuff and we'll start practising right away. As ya probably now, we'll take part in the Cocoon Song Contest startin' next Thursday", Sazh quickly replied, hoping to get rid of the man soon. Maybe he was really just trying to be nice in his own, very polite way, but it wasn't something Sazh was fond of, as it got across as kind of cold and impersonal.

"Of course, I am fully aware of that. I will better leave you alone now, then. Should you need anything, you can ask me anytime. You can find me in office 36 on the third floor. Good day", he said with his stoic voice, followed by a quick bow to everyone before he disappeared as swiftly as he'd arrived.

"Well, that was odd ... funny guy", Sazh commented once Rosch was out of earshot. "Yeah, I liked the manager in Eden more", Hope agreed, grinning slightly pained.

"If ya ask me, there's somethin' weird about this guy. Have ya seen the way he looks at us?", Fang spoke out her thoughts as they made their way to their practise room.

"You mean how you feel so terribly inferior whenever these eyes meet your own?", Cid inquired with narrowed eyes.

"Exactly that. I really don't like that, makes his politeness feel kinda dishonest", the woman agreed, nodding.

"Calm down, guys. Maybe we just have to get used to him, right? And we don't have to forget he, too, is new in this job. Give him some time, it'll be alright", Sazh ended the discussion before it had even really started.

* * *

The band spent the remaining days until the Contest in the studio, practising hard. They knew very well that this was one of Cocoon's biggest yearly events, and it was not only watched by millions of people on TV, but also took place in a big arena that had enough room for over fifty-thousand people. Good for the band, this arena was right in Bodhum, their new home.

It was definitely an honour to be popular enough to take part in this contest, and more so it meant a lot to be the press's favourite contestant.

Besides Fighting Fate, seven other artists took part. At first, they would be randomly put together in two groups with four artists in each. Then, everyone had to play a song they chose beforehand live. After that, the jury of three people would evaluate the performance and the audience could call or send a text message for their favourite contestant.

Once the voting was closed, group one and two both dismissed the artist with the fewest votes. This would repeat in round two and three until the last two remaining artists would fight for victory in round four. Every round took place on one evening, so that meant people could look forward to four days of excitement.

As the jury only gave ideas who they liked most and everything was decided by the audience, everyone knew this contest wasn't only about skill but even more about popularity with the masses.

* * *

Finally, the great day approached and everyone was both excited and nervous about this major event.

As Fighting Fate had had to inform the police beforehand that they needed extra protection for the event, it wasn't to anyone's surprise that only hours later, the internet was full of speculations as to why the popular band felt endangered enough to need more protection. Luckily, no word got out about the threatening letter, so everything people could do was wildly speculate.

In the evening, only minutes before the start of the event, Vanille sat in front of the TV back at Farron's to watch her girlfriend together with Serah, Snow and a slightly bored Lightning.

Vanille would've loved to be in the arena, right at the event, but Fang had asked her to stay at home, as their relationship was long not a secret anymore and she feared the girl could be easily targeted if the writer of the letters planned to do something at the event. At home she was safer, and with Lightning there with her it was even better, as the policewoman always had her duty weapon at home with her.

"Good evening, ladies and gentleman and welcome to this year's Cocoon Song Contest!", the host's loud, manly voice came out of the TV, filling the room. It almost made both Serah and Vanille scream in excitement. Oh, this was going to be _so _great.

* * *

**AN: **I hope you liked this one. I'm not so sure about this chapter, to be honest. I had quite mixed feelings while writing it, especially because I wasn't sure how exciting I wrote the whole thing. So why don't you tell me in the reviews how you liked it? It's appreciated, as always.

Also, as I'm already talking about reviews, I'd like to give special thanks to my long-time reviewers twinbladesofthedead and CalypsoCoast - you have been with this story (and me) for quite long now, that's just awesome :)


	14. Chapter 14

**AN: **Hello again, people! Finally managed to get the chapter done. Life's had a tough grip on me recently, but it is what it is. :)

Anyway, something important beforehand: I've felt like another sex scene (again), so this chapter contains one. If you don't want to read it, look out for the XXX signs: one is placed before the scene and one after, so you can easily skip this part if you want. Alright, so you've been warned! :D

* * *

_Chapter Fourteen_

"Alright, guys, we got another ten minutes before we have to go on stage", Sazh announced as everyone was assembled in their room for a few minutes of gathering.

"I'd say, we'll show 'em today who the destined winner of this thing is!", he said with a loud voice, grinning widely.

"I couldn't agree more, Sazh! My bets go on you guys, of course, and let me once more tell y'all how great it is to be back with you again!", Rygdea piped up, smiling at the others.

They returned the nice gesture, all happy indeed to have their sound technician back on board. He was the best, after all, and a good friend of them on top of that.

It had been a totally unexpected event when the man had stopped by at their studio a few days ago, announcing he'd returned from Pulse. Well, unexpected for everyone besides Sazh, who'd received a call from Rygdea days before that, but had kept this to himself so as not to ruin the surprise for the others.

Rygdea was indeed a weird, but wholly likeable guy. Six months ago, he'd decided to quit his job at the band to pursue his life-long dream of a professional military career abroad in Pulse. As he realised how "boring and overly structured" his new job was, however, he began to miss his home country and was quick in his decision to return to Cocoon as soon as possible.

And now here he was, back in his old position with the band, joking and smiling like he'd never been away, with his friends, who in return laughed and chuckled like, yes, he'd never been away.

They were only pulled out of their talking when the notification came for them to go to the stage. Receiving Rygdea's praising words among others once again, they quickly made their way to the stage. When the host called the band's name, they knew it was their turn to go out.

Fang widened her eyes for a moment when they entered the stage area and were greeted with a long, loud applause from the audience. The sight was amazing, to say the least - all those people, it looked so gigantic. They'd never played in front of what must be about sixty-thousand people tonight, so this was a big thing for them, a big step.

She looked around, following the course of the rows filled with people with her eyes, pleased to realise that there seemed to be no free places left. She smiled contentedly, only focusing her gaze on the host again as they'd reached the place where they were supposed to stand, spotlights immediately shining on them brightly.

"Aaaalright! Another welcome to Fighting Fate over here, people!", the host encouraged the audience loudly. He grinned pleased with himself as there was another loud applause filling the hall.

"Ladies and gentleman, the next contestant I'm pleased to announce tonight is the wonderful singer Jihl Nabaat!", the host continued enthusiastically after it'd become quiet again.

Only shortly after, the woman in question entered the stage, walking so much like the queen visiting her kingdom. She came to a stand directly beside the band, making a long bow to the audience.

Fang sighed inwardly as she glanced over to the woman, looking over her green-pink coloured dress. As the host said something, another applause followed, making Jihl smile that cold smile of hers as her eyes met Fang's.

The message was clear without any words added to it: I'll win this, I'm better than you. Jihl's smile widened a little before she averted her gaze again as the next contestant, a three-man-band called 'Crystallised', entered the stage and came to a stand beside the woman.

Though it'd never been said out aloud by any of the two parties, it was publicly known that there was a certain ... rivalry between Jihl Nabaat and Fighting Fate.

As for the reasons, it wasn't quite clear, not even to Fighting Fate themselves, but many suspected Jihl simply had a big problem with the fact that the group around Sazh had been constantly growing more successful and popular since their formation the year before and was now very close to kicking the woman from her place on the throne as Cocoon's most popular rock artist.

That was only speculation, though. It could also be that Jihl just hated Fighting Fate for no particular reason; after all, judging from the band's few encounters with the blonde, she was as likeable and kind as the devil himself, Fang thought and smirked inwardly. Yes, Jihl definitely seemed like someone who loathed people just because she could.

Whatever the reasons for the woman's hostility - they'd probably never find out anyway - it had built up a rivalry that had made their past encounters always quite interesting, to say the least. Surely, this would also apply to the contest, as the blonde would undoubtedly try as hard as she could to win this event like she did the past two years.

_Well, now that we're in the game, we won't go easy on her_, Fang thought as she absentmindedly saw the last of the eight participants enter the stage, being greeted with loud applause like the others before.

After that, it wasn't long until the two groups for the contest were formed and the contestants were randomly picked to play the song they'd chosen for the evening. As chance would have it, Fighting Fate were the first to present their song.

They'd decided to go with "Blinded By Light", a song that was not only quite fast-paced and powerful, but was also very popular with the fans.

Once Fang began playing the guitar intro to the song, the nervousness inside her faded away as usual, and she was thankful for that as she briefly looked around and once again was amazed by the huge crowd of people that now intently gazed at them as the song picked up pace and her other band members started playing as well.

Still, Fang couldn't help but feel relieved once they'd finished the song and heard the crowd applauding and whistling enthusiastically. She looked over to her band mates and saw that everyone seemed to feel the same, especially Hope, who looked like he might faint from his stage fright any second.

The jury then evaluated their performance, and all three of them showed themselves content with it. As they went over to the part of the stage where the other artists waited with the host and sat down on the couch for the next contestant to play their song, Fang's gaze wandered about, and she couldn't help but roam the crowd again.

Despite not wanting to, she really wondered if there was this someone in the audience who had written these letters to them over the last weeks. If there was a person in this arena who was only waiting for the right moment to maybe take out a gun they'd smuggled past the controls and shoot at them since they'd ignored the writer's demands to cancel their participation in the contest.

But so far, everything had been smooth. It was certainly a good sign, as the best chance to shoot at them would've been right at their presentation a few minutes ago, Fang reckoned. Still, the evening wasn't over yet, so the woman's tension remained there for now as she tried to distract herself from the unpleasant topic again by imagining how Vanille would sit in front of the TV now, cheering for her.

* * *

"Hahaha, that was _great_! We totally won this round for us, man!", Cid cheered loudly as they entered their changing room after the show.

They'd indeed not only managed to make it to round two easily, but had also gotten over 44% of the votes in their group. Jihl, as the best voted participant of the other group, had only made it to 35%.

"And it's even better than that, if ya ask me, that nothin' happened concernin' these stupid letters", Sazh added, laughing happily as he took off the black vest he'd worn for the evening.

"Yeah. Seems someone was only bluffin'", Fang agreed with a smile, feeling relief washing over her. Sure, theoretically it wasn't said that the mysterious writer didn't plan to act later, after all there would be still three rounds if Fighting Fate managed to make it to the finale. But somehow, that seemed rather unlikely.

"Told ya", Cid commented nonchalantly, just as if he'd known all along. But in reality, he'd been as concerned about this as the others, even if he'd tried not to show it too much.

After everyone had finally changed and made it outside, they were picked up by limos to go home. As Vanille and Fang had had almost no time for each other during the last stressful weeks, the brunette incredibly looked forward to spending tonight and the whole day after that with her girlfriend. She finally had a work-free day tomorrow, and she would make good use of it.

* * *

XXX

When Fang eventually arrived at Farron's minutes later and was let in, she found she didn't have a lot of time to talk to the others, as she was quickly dragged upstairs to Vanille's room by the girl.

"Now I have you all to myself ... finally", the redhead sighed contentedly while closing the door behind them. Fang found herself smirking.

"Did ya have anythin' ... specific in mind, now that ya have me 'all to yourself'?", the brunette responded suggestively, unconsciously closing the distance between the two a bit.

"Oh, I don't know. It's quite late already, mh...", Vanille answered, making a thinking face, obviously oblivious to the true meaning of her girlfriend's suggestive remark. It made Fang smile as she shook her head a little.

"That's not what I meant, love...", the brunette clarified with a low voice, leaning forward so she could whisper right into Vanille's ear.

"I thought ... it's been quite long since we _enjoyed_ ourselves a little together...", Fang breathed as her hands quickly snaked under the girl's shirt to touch her breasts through her bra while her mouth wandered down her ear and neck, leaving feather-light kisses in its way.

Vanille couldn't help but agree as her eyes immediately went shut at her girlfriend's skilled treatment. And she was right on top of that; since their first time, which had been almost four weeks ago, they'd really not found the time or will to indulge in this activity again, thanks to the massive amount of stress on Fang's end.

Needless to say, Vanille was more than willing after such a long time of absence between the two of them. She opened her eyes when suddenly, the kisses stopped and Fang retreated.

"I mean ... if ya want this", the brunette whispered, her eyes sparkling in a mocking manner as she stared into the redhead's already clearly lust-filled emerald hues and her lips formed an impish, almost mean smirk.

The girl momentarily raised an eyebrow when Fang spoke before she saw her facial expression and understood. Oh, she was teasing again. But two could play that game, Vanille thought as a small, but definitely slightly wicked smile formed on her lips when an idea hit her and she slowly, carefully led Fang backwards to the bed before sitting her down on the edge.

Fang, on the other side, just let Vanille do whatever she wanted, smiling in anticipation when her girlfriend made her sit down on the bed. She immediately lunged forward to grip the girl's hips and pull her closer to her when the girl managed to make a few almost shy steps backwards, only just so evading the brunette's grasp.

"Not so fast", the redhead spoke in a playful, uncharacteristically seductive way. Fang couldn't help but arch an eyebrow in question, but was quickly given an unspoken explanation when the girl made another step backwards before she started to move to a slow, somehow primal rhythm, which perfectly fit her 'dance' as she began to roam her own body with her hands.

Jade eyes intently followed them as they wandered over her curvy hips, then down a little before going straight up again to her breasts, stroking over them before swiftly wandering down to the hem of the shirt. Vanille smiled seductively when their gazes met and she saw the raw want in Fang's eyes. Pleased with the reaction, she quickly pulled her shirt over her head and threw it away.

The guitarist gulped at this, as the action immediately led a burning hot feeling right down between her legs. But this was only the beginning, and Vanille seemed to be intent on torturing her a bit as her small hands promisingly landed on the front clasp of her bra only to be pulled back again after a moment.

Fang was visibly disappointed, and it made Vanille grin with satisfaction as she made a turn in her strip dance, her hands slowly, so slowly venturing over her perfectly formed buttocks as she was with her back to the woman.

Finally, when their eyes met and she saw the desperate want in the brunette's gaze growing by the second, she decided to show some mercy and peeled off her bra.

But it was only to give Fang a short break from the torture, the quiet before the storm, since the girl then slowly neared the brunette, carefully taking step after step. She stopped when she stood right before her sitting girlfriend and put her hands on her shoulders.

Fang, obviously taking this as permission to go on and undress Vanille herself, quickly reached forward again to touch the redhead. Surprise overcame her when her hands were mercilessly slapped away.

"No touching ... _yet_", the girl said in a strict tone, smiling at the hurt expression it evoked in Fang's face as the woman placed her hands back on the bed behind her in silent obedience, leaning back on them with her hungry eyes focused on Vanille.

"Good", was all the reply she got before the girl resumed her dance, trailing her hands up Fang's thighs, then her chest - not missing her breasts - and shoulders before landing on either side of the brunette's face, softly holding her.

When the girl leaned forward dangerously close so they could feel the other's breathing on their faces, Fang's eyes went shut in anticipation for a kiss that wouldn't come. No, Vanille seemed to be having way too much fun barely grazing her lips over her girlfriend's before retreating with a smile.

"Damn..", it slipped the desperately turned on brunette out as she opened her eyes and locked gazes with her torturing girlfriend. It made Vanille momentarily feel sorry for her, and so the girl quickly straddled her before starting her rhythmic movements again, moving her hips, now directly on top of Fang.

But this wasn't an act of mercy at all for the tanned woman, no, far from it. It only tortured her more, and when she deeply inhaled and caught the girl's sweet scent, mixed with her arousal, she felt like she was close to losing her sanity. _Etro..._

"Impatient?", Vanille asked, playing coy. _As if she doesn't know already_, it cursed through Fang's mind, but all she managed to do was nodding up to her girlfriend, who was still busy touching herself in the most intimate places, making it impossible for the tanned woman underneath her to form any coherent sentence at all.

"Mhh...", it escaped Vanille's mouth as she made a thinking face as if considering what to do next. The moment didn't last long at all, as her hands swiftly moved back and loosened her hair ties before snaking down, stopping at the buttons of her skirt.

Fang couldn't have hidden the hope in her gaze even if she'd wanted to. It only made it so much easier for her girlfriend to torment her, though. Not that it would've been hard otherwise.

"You want me to ... take that off?", the redhead then asked with a low, seductive voice, playing with the waistband of her skirt.

Hadn't all of the blood in her head already wandered somewhere further down, Fang would've probably both marvelled at and wondered about this absolutely wicked but also definitely sexy as hell side to her girlfriend she experienced for the first time tonight.

But with the current state she found herself in, all the response she could muster was another firm nod up to the redhead, followed by a husky "yes".

The once again so sincerely desperate reaction of her horny girlfriend made a delightful shiver run down Vanille's back as she complied to Fang's wish and removed her skirt.

When she saw the brunette gulp again and was reminded of the strong want she herself felt inside too, almost boiling over, she knew she soon had to end this little game. Part of her regretted it, but she'd had good fun, and considering how madly turned on Fang on the other side looked, it was only fair to relieve her.

Still, she couldn't help but stroke over her own body once more, so painfully slowly and deliberately that Fang balled her hands on the sheets behind her to fists in an attempt to restrain herself. She also failed to keep the gasp from escaping her mouth when the girl's hand snaked into her panties, gently and sensually touching herself while her eyes closed and she threw back her head in pleasure.

It only lasted for a moment, though, and Fang almost jumped in surprise when the girl on her lap pulled her hand from her panties only to place her wetted fingers on the brunette's lips a moment later. It was an invitation Fang eagerly took without thinking twice, quickly opening her mouth obediently to suck her fingers clean.

And finally, after so many minutes of torture, the guitarist neared her release as Vanille took her fingers from her mouth while shifting and removing her panties with her free hand. The girl once more started her rhythmic movements on top of Fang, only for a moment though before she abruptly stopped and leaned forward to the ear of the woman underneath her, breathing heavily into it.

"Touch me, Fang. Now", she finally spoke the words the woman in question had been waiting for for so long. The words that in an instant released her from the invisible shackles Vanille had put her into minutes ago.

And indeed, this was all Fang needed as her hands swiftly lunged forward and gripped the redhead's hips, pushing her naked body down towards Fang's still fully clothed one. Barely a moment had passed when one hand already left its position again only to draw the redhead into a long overdue kiss that was so charged with heat and need that their teeth clashed with a force.

Just as Vanille snaked her own hands up Fang's chest to start undressing her blindly, she was taken off guard when the woman under her suddenly gripped her and threw her on the bed in one swift motion before withdrawing from the kiss just as swiftly.

Their gazes met for a moment, and a seductive smile of her own found its way on Fang's lips as she quickly, impatiently tore off her clothing and carelessly threw it on the floor. Vanille could only watch, taken aback by the beauty and eroticism of her sexy girlfriend.

When finally the last garment had been discarded, the woman placed herself back on top of the smaller girl, marvelling at the feeling of their overheated naked bodies finally touching skin to skin.

They only took a second to dwell in the moment, though, as both of them felt their impatience grow by the second, only to be fuelled further by Fang's hands that occupied themselves with groping the redhead's breasts roughly, yet not in an unpleasant way, judging by the initial soft moan that left the girl's mouth at the treatment.

But Fang wanted, needed more. Their gazes met, and she knew Vanille felt the same, her gaze almost screaming it out loud to her girlfriend. No, she wouldn't wait any longer.

And with that, Fang shifted a little before a tanned hand swiftly wandered down her lover's body, stopping briefly when it'd reached its destination. Their lust-filled gazes hadn't left the other's, and the brunette shot Vanille a feral smile before quickly driving two eager fingers into her tightness.

The girl moaned out loud at the action and her hips bucked at the welcomed intrusion, pleasure already engulfing her completely as her skilled lover started up a rough, relentless pace.

Though Vanille felt her thoughts quickly fading away into nothingness with every thrust, it did still manage to get through to her that she'd actually wanted to dominate Fang more, even after letting her touch again. That, obviously, hadn't quite gone as intended, but she knew Fang well enough that she could've actually guessed this outcome, had she not let herself get so distracted by her lover's stunning beauty.

But it was too late; her girlfriend had taken over the lead now, much to seductive, devious Vanille's dismay. She let out a long moan when Fang hit a particularly sensitive spot inside her, and when the woman leaned down to caress her breasts with her tongue, it suddenly hit the redhead that now was a perfect opportunity to try and take back the lead she still felt was rightly hers for tonight.

And so she gathered all the power she could muster and grabbed Fang to swiftly roll them over. Even though the brunette was by far the physically stronger one of them, it worked smoothly, probably also thanks to the woman being caught off guard by the girl's action.

Though surprise was evident on her face for a second, Fang quickly managed to regain her composure, showing itself in the smirk conquering her face a moment later as she sat up and shifted a little so Vanille comfortably straddled her hips before resuming her thrusting motions inside her.

Obviously, the redhead could've anticipated that reaction as well as she silently cursed herself inwardly at the failed attempt to swiftly take the lead from her lover while her hips bucked against Fang's hand of their own accord, silently urging her on.

"That ... wasn't-ahhh ... supposed to-", Vanille panted between moans, "-go this way", she finished, followed by a gasp when Fang's other hand groped a breast.

"Oh? How was it supposed to go then, love?", was the brunette's cocky reaction, both at Vanille's difficulties to get out a sentence in her current state and at what she figured the girl had meant.

What Fang didn't know, though, was that with her cheeky remark, she'd unknowingly spurred her girlfriend on to try and take her lead back once again.

Only this time, Vanille's 'plan' to do so was much more solid, as the girl simply, plainly reached down between their bodies and swiftly pushed two fingers into Fang before the woman even had the ghost of a chance to realise what was going on.

The brunette couldn't keep the unexpected moan from escaping her lips as she suddenly felt Vanille inside her, wasting no time and starting to move her digits in and out, taking Fang as hard as she could.

"Wanna ... have ya lead back- ugh ... huh?", the older woman panted, picking up her own thrusts' intensity and speed to show she didn't intend to give in and let her lover succeed.

Vanille's eyes narrowed in fake anger as she locked gazes with Fang, who still managed a smug smirk despite her already audible panting indicating she was getting more worked up.

But the girl certainly didn't let herself get irritated by the dark-haired woman's cocky behaviour, and so she put her free hand on Fang's shoulder, all the while thrusting deeper into her to show she was up for the unspoken challenge.

The tanned woman's eyes went shut for a moment before she forced them open again while her own free hand wandered to Vanille's cheek and held her softly, yet strongly.

"Alright, love ... I ... won't go easy on ya", she managed to get out before drawing her lover into a deep kiss which swallowed both their moans as they continued their work, both eager to bring the other to her high first and win their competition.

Admittedly, Fang had an advantage since she'd started pleasuring Vanille first, but the latter put a lot of effort in evening the odds by catching up with her. Judging from the brunette's moans, which gained more and more intensity, it seemed the redhead was pretty successful, though she, too, felt herself constantly and quickly nearing her peak as she wildly rode the tanned woman's digits.

Fang was intent on winning their little competition just as much. She knew it would be tough, though, and as she already felt herself dangerously close to her orgasm when her walls contracted more and more around Vanille's digits, she was well aware she had to do more.

So she adjusted her hand position a little and was now able to barely rub over Vanille's clit while thrusting. When she then put more force behind her movements and moved her free hand down from Vanille's shoulder to her breast to tweak her nipple, she knew she was doing it right, as the girl's sounds grew louder and more erratic in response.

Still, this little success was equally helping and condemning her since she of course couldn't prevent herself from getting increasingly turned on by her girlfriend's moans, pants and gasps. In fact, her little action had not only brought Vanille closer to her edge but had also pushed Fang almost over it.

One might consider it dirty play, but when their lust-filled gazes met and locked once more like so often before tonight, Fang leaned forward to reach Vanille's ear. "I'm- I'm close, Vanille", she moaned into it, and it wasn't even a lie. Not at all.

And that did it. Vanille, immediately moaning back and digging the nails of her free hand into Fang's back hard, making her groan, desperately rode the brunette's fingers as she felt herself tensing up and clamping down around the woman's digits deep inside her.

She was so caught up in her own moans washing over her during her high that she almost didn't catch that Fang, too, had clamped down tightly around her fingers and was moaning as well while little shudders uncontrollably ripped through her body.

Steadily, they slowed down their movements inside each other until they eventually stopped and their gazes locked as they removed their hands from the other's core. Still panting a bit, they found themselves smiling lovingly, only now realising nobody had won their competition since they'd come at the same time.

But still, there _was _one thing Vanille had to address. Her eyes narrowed a little as she deeply looked into Fang's jade hues before her that seemed so innocent right now as the woman in question gazed back at her with a quizzical expression. "What?"

"You cheated!", the redhead blurted out, playfully smacking a tanned shoulder. "Don't think I didn't notice you did that on purpose, moaning into my ear how close you were!", the girl complained, and it was kind of cute how she tried to appear madder than she was.

But Fang only shrugged her shoulders coolly. "Didn't know you set any rules for this, love", she only stated nonchalantly, grinning widely.

"But I have a feelin' you didn't terribly mind this little ... rule infringement, yeah?", the woman continued devilishly.

Vanille couldn't keep the light blush from claiming her face as she momentarily looked away from her love. "Yep, just as I thought", Fang responded to the silent admission and placed a soft hand on the redhead's cheek, stroking over it.

The girl locked eyes with her again, smiling deeply before she had to yawn unexpectedly. The brunette chuckled, "Bedtime?"

Vanille only nodded, shifting to get down from Fang, and jumped off the bed to go and prepare for bed.

XXX

Minutes later, they were done and lay down together in the girl's bed. It was no double bed like Fang's, but the brunette said she didn't mind, adding it only made it more cosy for them.

They lay together closely and had almost drifted off to sleep when a thought crossed Vanille's mind. She had to know. "Fang?"

"Yeah, love?"

"You didn't tell me about the event tonight. I mean, you know I watched on TV ... but I was wondering if something happened about the letters, you know? Something we didn't get to see on TV", Vanille spoke softly, turning around in Fang's arms to lock eyes with her in the almost dark room.

She could see a hint of a smile on the brunette's face as she shook her head. "No, everythin' went just alright. Guess all the panic was for nothin' and someone was only tryin' to scare us"

Vanille nodded contentedly. "Good. I'm glad you're safe.", she whispered, giving her love a peck.

"Me too. And I'm happy to be here with ya", Fang agreed softly, once again feeling the relief she'd felt earlier this evening when they'd all realised nothing had happened at all.

The brunette put her arms back around her girlfriend's waist when the latter turned to press her back against her front again.

Exhaling deeply, contentedly, Fang breathed a good night into her love's ear, receiving an approving squeeze before her last thoughts for tonight quickly faded as sleep overcame her.

* * *

"Mornin' guys", Fang sleepily greeted the Farron sisters when she and Vanille entered the kitchen in their pyjamas.

"Morning", it came back from the pink-haired women in unison, who already sat at the table, enjoying breakfast. When Lightning looked up from her newspaper and her gaze met Fang's, the latter noticed something was off.

Not only had the older Farron's look something about it that could be best described as a mix of amusement and annoyance, but also Fang didn't miss how Serah desperately stared at her own newspaper to try and avoid meeting eyes with anyone at all.

"Oookay ... what is goin' on here?", the brunette inquired suspiciously as she and Vanille sat down.

"What do you mean, Fang?", Vanille wanted to know, oblivious to the Farron's odd behaviour.

The tanned woman had already opened her mouth to explain when Lightning coughed, beating her to it. "Well, uhm ...", the policewoman started, briefly looking over to an already blushing Serah, then back to Vanille and Fang.

A rare, amused smile found its way on the older Farron's lips for a brief moment before she continued. "We noticed you guys were quite, uhm, _loud_ last night. Good for you, I don't have to work early today, but for the future I - we - would appreciate it if you kept it a little more ... silent", Lightning explained, trying to remain as emotionless as ever as she fought against the smile that threatened to conquer her face once more.

It was dead quiet in the kitchen for a moment. Serah, blushing madly, tried to hide behind her newspaper while Fang only sat there, her mouth hanging open for a second, and Vanille looked like she could die from embarrassment, her face incredibly reddened.

But Fang wouldn't be Fang if she didn't recover quickly. "Well, thanks for tellin' us, Light! Guess we'll try - can't promise anythin', though. Our sex is just too smokin' hot, ya know", she winked suggestively, immediately earning herself a punch on the shoulder from Vanille and a facepalm from everyone else.

"Oh Etro...", was all the comment Lightning managed to make at Fang's utterly embarrassing remark as she got up and fetched herself another cup of coffee, shaking her head.

"Sorry, it's just the truth", the brunette added, unable to keep her cheeky mouth shut.

"Fang!", her girlfriend desperately whined from beside her, tugging at her shirt for her to stop.

"Alright, alright, I'm already stoppin' - was just teasin' y'all anyway", the guitarist chuckled and let the topic go, much to everyone's relief and gratitude.

* * *

Later that day, Lightning sat at her desk at Bodhum's police department, doing paperwork. It was the usual stuff she did almost every day these days. It was mostly boring, but much safer than patrolling the streets.

But since her promotion half a year back she didn't have to do that anymore, and though there was more action in the streets, the older Farron knew she could be thankful for her safer and better paid job at the desk.

And besides, sometimes she was even allowed to help the detectives with their work when there was a case to solve. It happened rarely, but maybe she would be one of them one day? The ambitious woman did not only hope, but fight for it every day, giving 110%.

Lightning was pulled out of her thoughts when the phone rang. "Lightning?"

"What is it, Rodger?", she answered her colleague.

"I'm putting someone through who says he has an anonymous tip of some sorts. Would you talk to the person and see if this is any useful?"

"Sure, put them through", the woman agreed. This was part of her job as well, sometimes at least. Most of the tips given, especially anonymously, couldn't be called helpful, though, so she didn't expect much when Rodger put through the caller.

"Good afternoon, Officer Claire Farron, Bodhum Police Department. Is it correct that you have an anonymous tip for us?"

"Yes, that's correct", the voice answered, and it made Lightning's ears prick up immediately at the artificially high voice, as she realised the person obviously distorted their voice with a program.

And somehow, that felt fishy. If you wished to stay anonymous, police had to respect this and wouldn't ask for your name. But to even conceal your voice seemed overly paranoid, as if the caller feared they would try to recognise him or her through their voice sooner or later.

"Okay. Is this concerning a case we're already investigating?", the woman inquired politely, pressing the record button on the phone unbeknownst to the caller.

"No. I have acquired information of someone being in possession of illegal drugs", the unknown explained.

"I see. Can you tell me where you assume the drugs are kept, and by whom?", Lightning inquired further.

"Yes. I'm talking about the band Fighting Fate. Search their private room in their studio here in Bodhum and you will find the drugs.", the caller explained and hung up without another word.

Lightning gulped. Fang's band? Drugs? If this were true- ... but she didn't know yet. They would investigate this tip, of course, and the policewoman already hoped, not only for Fang but also for Vanille, that this was not true.

She had a strange feeling in her stomach when she picked up the phone again to inform her superiors of the new information they had to look into. As this concerned drugs, probably, they'd most likely send someone out even today to look into this.


	15. Chapter 15

_Chapter Fifteen_

Fang smiled in content when she and Vanille returned to Farron's after they'd enjoyed the guitarist's work-free day together outside in Bodhum. The sun was already setting outside, and its orange rays painted a lovely picture as they shone into the homely living room.

They dropped their shopping bags in the kitchen for now, and quickly found they had the house for themselves. Serah was out with Snow and his friends, and Lightning must still be at work.

The couple let themselves fall on the big couch in the living room, and Fang sighed happily as she put her arm around Vanille's shoulder. The redhead smiled and went to say something when she was interrupted by the ringtone of her mobile phone. Fang smirked as she immediately recognised it as the intro of one of her band's songs.

The girl took a glance at her phone, then back to Fang. "It's Lightning. I better pick up", she said and pressed the device to her ear.

"Hey Light!", she greeted her adoptive sister, all sunshine and happiness. Fang leaned back, dreamily staring at the ceiling as the girl talked to Lightning.

"What? You ... what?", she heard her girlfriend say suddenly, shock evident in her voice, which made Fang turn her head in more than curiosity.

"Okay, I'll tell her ... okay, okay. We are here, see you in a minute, Light", Fang could hear the redhead say then before she hung up and turned to the brunette, who could see the shock still written all over her face as her widened emerald eyes stared back at the taller woman.

"What's wrong, love?", Fang wanted to know, definitely certain now that something bad must've happened.

Vanille averted her gaze downwards as she finally spoke after a moment. "You're in difficulties, Fang... Light said police will be here in thirty minutes at the most, picking you up to take you into custody. She said she'll be here in a few minutes to talk to you before they do"

"What? What happened, Vanille?", Fang asked of her, placing her free hand on hers as she saw how scared the girl looked. But she, too, couldn't deny that she felt a certain uneasiness creep into her system, knowing that she must've done something so bad that police wanted to take her with them right away. But what? What had she done wrong?

"She didn't say. She only mentioned that it's bad and she'll explain everything to you once she's here", the redhead went on, laying her other hand over Fang's holding hers, holding it tightly between her hands to get some kind of comfort.

And suddenly, they heard the entrance door fly open and close loudly. It only took Lightning a full ten seconds at the most before she found the couple in the living room, staring back at her as she entered in her blue and white police uniform.

"I need to talk to you. Vanille can stay and listen if she wants", Lightning announced seriously, sitting down on the armchair close to Fang.

"Oookay ... what is goin' on here, Light? It sounds damn serious, and Vanille here is terrified, as you can see", the brunette asked, frowning a little in anger as she turned towards Lightning and gently pulled Vanille closer to her, who gladly accepted the offer and leaned against Fang's shoulder while laying an arm around her waist as if fearing she might lose her otherwise.

"It _is _'damn serious', Fang", Lightning responded momentarily annoyed and looked away for a moment to gather herself. "We have found drugs in your band's private room in the studio", she stated matter-of-factly as she turned back to lock gazes with the brunette.

Both Fang and Vanille simultaneously let out a gasp at what they heard. "They ... what?", the guitarist said in pure shock, not wanting to believe her own ears.

"You heard me right. You and the other band members will be taken into custody. They'll be here soon", the policewoman explained, struggling to maintain as professional as she was supposed to, as she was _used_ to.

But hell, it was hard when you knew the person accused of something, and when you had this uncertainty in your mind, torturing you with this one doubting question over and over: Is it true? Is your adoptive sister's girlfriend a drug addict, or worse?

"I- ... I'm not allowed to, but I came here before them to talk to you. To help you. But you need to be honest with me for me to do that, Fang. Can you do that? Can you be honest with me?", Lightning went on, and she was unable to hide how concerned she was now as her pleading gaze met Fang's, silently urging her to do the right thing.

The brunette gulped, tightening her grip around Vanille's shoulder as she felt the hand on her waist clutch harder, more desperately onto her. "Yeah"

"Good. In brief, because we really don't have much time: I need to know, Fang. Did you hide drugs there, or know that any of your band mates hid them there?", the older Farron came straight to the point, her ice-blue eyes narrowing as she looked into Fang's in concentration.

"Hell, no! I've always stayed away from that nasty shit, as well as the others. We all agreed on that we don't wanna poison ourselves, our lives with drugs", came the reply from Fang, who raised her free hand in defence and shook her head.

"Of course Fang doesn't have anything to do with it! You don't think she would do something like that, right?", Vanille piped up to defend her girlfriend, a questioning look on her face as she looked back at Lightning. Her adoptive sister didn't believe Fang was guilty ... right?

"What I believe doesn't matter to the law, Vanille. The truth does.", Light explained herself, "And if what you, Fang, say is true, meaning you and your band didn't place the drugs there, then ... that means somebody else hid them there, possibly to set you and your band up", the policewoman shared one of the many theories she'd been thinking about over and over on her way home.

"But you believe she's guilty, don't you? You have that look on your face, Light...", Vanille piped up again, not giving her girlfriend a chance to react. Her face was a strange mix of several emotions as she snuggled even closer to Fang if that was even possible.

Lightning found herself frowning at Vanille's reaction. It was just so ... without reason. She didn't _think_. But then again ... who could blame her, when the woman she loved was accused of something like that? Who wouldn't defend their beloved in such a situation, no matter what?

"To be honest, I don't know. I haven't known Fang for long, Vanille.", Lightning started, her gaze wandering between the two women before coming to a rest on Fang. "But from what I have gathered in the short time we've known each other, I don't take you for someone who's into drugs", the pink-haired woman said, a hint of a soft smile on her lips for a brief moment before a more serious feature took over again.

"Also, the anonymous caller who gave us the tip to search the band's room for drugs made a strange impression on me when I had them on the phone today. The person concealed their voice with a program to make recognition impossible. It leads me to believe this whole thing might well be a planned set-up", Lightning explained her view on the situation.

Fang found herself smiling a little. She was positively surprised the older Farron had not directly labelled her as guilty, but was actually quite willing to believe her, though she'd still made clear she wasn't undoubtedly convinced yet that Fang didn't have anything to do with the drugs. But Light's will to believe and, on top of that, help the brunette was definitely worth a lot.

Fang absentmindedly stroked over her girlfriend's shoulder as she let the policewoman's theory sink in. It sounded plausible, especially since it must've been somebody else's doing, as Fang was sure beyond any doubt that neither of her band colleagues, who were also her friends, had secretly come into contact with drugs and had hidden them in their room.

"Well, I'd say-", the brunette started, noticing Lightning's expecting gaze on her, but then the doorbell rang, silencing her as everyone's heads immediately turned in the direction of the door.

"That must be the police. Vanille, you open the door, and you, Fang, do as you're told, okay? It doesn't help you if you provoke them, so keep it cool.", Lightning instructed them as they got up and neared the entrance door.

"Alright, I'll go upstairs. They don't really need to see me, might give them the idea I talked to you against the rules", Lightning turned to Fang again, smiling briefly, and the brunette was sure she saw something like compassion sparkling in her blue eyes, if only for a moment.

Fang nodded appreciatively, and so did the older Farron before she quickly disappeared and Fang went over to the kitchen. Vanille then opened the door, revealing two police officers.

"Good evening, Miss. We're here for Fang Yun. Is she here?", the taller of the men asked politely, though it sounded more like he knew the answer already.

Vanille nodded a little nervously as she played with her hands. "Y-yes, she's here. Come in, please"

The men followed her to the kitchen, and Fang did her best to try and play it cool when the policemen were quick in telling her she would be taken into custody like her band colleagues, as illegal drugs had been found in the band's private room.

There wasn't much point in resisting, really, and Fang remembered Lightning's advice well, so she did as told and let herself be put into handcuffs before the men walked her to the door under the terrified gaze of Vanille, who helplessly followed them closely.

"Wait. One minute, please", Fang asked of the officers when they'd reached the entrance door, looking back to Vanille. The men exchanged a gaze and then nodded to her to proceed, and the smaller one of them was so kind and reopened her handcuffs for the moment.

Fang immediately closed the two steps towards Vanille under the watching gazes of the officers, hugging her tightly.

"Fang, I'm afraid for you...", the girl said, the sadness and worry in her voice only muffled by her girlfriend's shoulder as she nuzzled into it while wrapping her arms around her tightly.

Fang stroked softly through her hair as she held her love. "Hey, we'll sort this out, okay?", she reassured the girl, who nodded against her shoulder.

When Fang heard one of the men cough behind her, she knew their time was running out. So she pulled away from the embrace and looked briefly into Vanille's glazed eyes before leaning forward to press her lips onto hers. The kiss was short, but that didn't rob it off any of its passion as the two expressed their love for each other.

They broke apart a few moments later, and knowing the officers wouldn't keep on waiting for her forever, Fang stroked over Vanille's cheek. "Don't you worry for me, okay, love? We'll prove I'm innocent, somehow", she reassured her once again, eliciting a small smile from the redhead. The brunette smiled herself before stepping back and turning a bit to face the men, nodding to them.

Still, when Fang was handcuffed and led to the car of the policemen outside while curious paparazzi took one humiliating photo after another - of course this pest wasn't far when they could get a good shot of a famous person in handcuffs - she couldn't fight the disgusting emotion of utter helplessness from rising within her, overpowering her. After all, police had found drugs at the band's place. How, for Etro's sake, should they prove anyone it wasn't their doing, weren't their drugs?

Fang didn't know. No, for once all nonchalance had entirely faded from her person. But when she came to a stand in front of the police car and turned around one more time, she met gazes with Vanille who stood in the entrance door and watched. And when she saw a small, loving smile grow on the girl's face at their eye contact, it relit the fire in her chest that had burned out just moments ago, the warm flame of hope.

Fang smiled back to her before getting in the car. Hell, somehow she'd prove her innocence. Somehow, they'd find whoever responsible for the drugs in their quarters. She had no idea as to how, but one thing she knew very well: she wouldn't go to prison free of any guilt, leaving Vanille alone. She wouldn't let that happen.

* * *

"The job is done. Everything went smooth", the man spoke into the phone once somebody had picked up with a curt, impersonal _hello_.

"I know. According to the news, they've already been taken into custody this evening. Good job", was the reply from the other side and you could even hear the smug smirk in the voice.

"What about my payment?", the other asked back, staring outside the window into the darkness.

"Yes, your payment. Meet us tomorrow at 9 pm at Primarch Avenue 13, behind the old sushi restaurant. There you will receive it. And good job again. You did something good, and my boss won't forget this", the other voice replied, again with that smirk in his voice. Then he hung up.

The other only stared outside wordlessly for a few moments as he lit a cigarette. _You did something good_, it echoed in his mind. But why didn't it feel like it, then?

Maybe because he'd deliberately pulled the strings to have innocent, good people arrested. Maybe because he would've never done something like that if it hadn't been for the money.

But this couldn't be changed, it had happened. He would have to live with it, whether he liked it or not. And despite his employer telling him, it was most certainly not 'something good' he'd done. Definitely not.

* * *

Lightning sighed heavily as she let herself fall into her chair in her office. There'd be a lot of work ahead of her. She'd just talked to her superior, Lieutenant Amodar, to see if it was possible for her to help investigating Fighting Fate's case.

And luckily, the man had allowed for her to get involved into the investigation of this case. This happened rarely with her low rank, especially with a case of such big importance, but the Lieutenant had decided he could need another officer on the team, and even implied he'd reward the woman with a much overdue promotion if she did well.

So far, so good. She took a glance at the clock, almost a little shocked to realise it was already after nine. She shut down her computer and said her goodbyes to the people still in the department before leaving to enjoy the rest of her Saturday evening.

She smiled when she drove home with a good feeling in her stomach, knowing she was actually able to help Fang as she'd promised her earlier today. Of course she knew very well it was still not said that the woman was as innocent as she'd assured Lightning, but the policewoman just had that feeling that the woman had told her the truth.

Either way, she would trust her word for now, after all she could still make her life a living hell if she found out Fang was guilty. And the truth _would _come to light sooner or later as the investigation progressed, there was no doubt. But it was still a way to go to that truth, seeing that investigation only started today.

And it only spurred on her determination to solve this case as soon as possible when she returned home and saw how little Vanille sadly sat on the sofa, draped in a blanket and cuddled tightly to Serah as they watched some movie the redhead didn't even really seem interested in as she blankly stared at the screen.

_I'll make sure this case is solved, and if it's the last thing I do._

* * *

**AN: **Only while writing this I realised how hard it actually is (for me) to write a crime story. I've never done this before, so I hope I've managed to make it interesting and exciting so far. You can always, of course, let me know what you think in the reviews or in a PM :) I'm open to any kind of feedback, good or bad!

Also, I'd like to mention I had some difficulties imagining how police actually works. I don't know much about it, not even in my country (Germany), so I freestyled a bit, which could end up as a mix of German and US police or just complete nonsense. But anyway, it's a fictional world, so I guessed I make my own rules for how police works in that world :)


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